The scale of mass shootings in America seems to keep getting bigger. On Sunday, June 12 at 2 A.M. local time, a gunman opened fire at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. 49 people were killed and 53 wounded. Police officers reported the shooter had a handgun and an assault weapon. Officials have deemed the shooting a hate crime, as well as the worst terrorist attack on American soil since 9/11.
Omar Mateen, 29,who was identified as the gunman in the shooting, exchanged gunfire with Orlando police. The FBI had investigated the young man in 2013 and 2014 for radical statements made to coworkers, reporters were told by Assistant Special Agent Ronald Hooper.
“Those interviews turned out to be inconclusive, so there was nothing to keep the investigation going,” Hooper said.
The gunman was also reported to have pledged allegiance to ISIS earlier that day in a 911 call in which police have told various news organizations he mentioned the Boston Bombing suspects.
No terror groups have claimed responsibility for the attack, yet sympathizers have praised it. However, NBC had reported that the gunman’s father claimed “this has nothing to do with religion,” going on to explain that it was most likely based in homophobia.
The incident is being investigated by the FBI as an act of terrorism.
President Barack Obama made a statement later in the day, calling the event an “act of terror and an act of hate.”
“This is especially heartbreaking day for our friends, our fellow Americans, who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender,” the president said in a news conference.
The president also acknowledge that the night club was an important place for the gay community to come together in “solidarity” and for “empowerment.”
This tragedy occurred not to a random group of people, but was conducted on a location with a specific purpose and a specific clientele. Whether the attack will be able to be tied back to an extremist group remains to be seen, but it seems quite obvious that this was not just a random act of terror, but an attack on a specific group of people: the LGBTQ+ community especially the gay and lesbian community.
The incident also puts enormous pressure on the LGBTQ+ Muslim community by highlighting the discrimination that exists within radical Islamic views.
President Obama made numerous comments in his press conference about gun control, but news center are glossing over that a massive hate crime has been committed. The most deadly terror attack since 9/11 is a gay hate crime. This proves that while marriage equality has been achieved, and acceptance is sweeping the nation, there is still room for improvement in reaching a safe society for people regardless of race, gender identity, sexual orientation and religious affiliation. For as a nation, we cannot even guarantee the safety of kindergartners.
