There are a few pivotal moments in every generation where people remember where they were and what the were doing when a tragic event in American history occurred. For my grandmother, it was the assassination of JFK; for my parents, it was 9/11; for me, it was the Pulse shooting. Not the Pulse Shooting itself, however, but the NBC notification that popped up on my phone during an Academic Success brunch that stated: "Pulse shooting was largest mass shooting in U.S. history." My heart fell into my stomach. I knew it was bad, I knew gun violence was bad. But never in a million years did I think that the worst mass shooting in U.S. history was going to happen before I was even 20.
I didn't know any of the victims, and I can never pretend to say that I understand the way their families and loved once must feel. But regardless of that, I couldn't help but want to put my phone down and cry after that news notification. Not just for the loss of life, but for the fact that there was another mass shooting in the U.S. This meant more funerals, more heartbreak, more childless parents, more parentless children. This meant more heated arguments in Congress, more wildly different opinions from two political parties who would never agree. This meant more fear and even worse, more anger.
I'm not at all qualified to say what we should or shouldn't do about gun violence. I firmly believe that everyone is entitled to their opinions, and their opinions are valid unless they are centered around harming others. But when will it stop? How many more people have to lose their lives? How many more public places will become unsafe? Every single person on this planet should be able to go to a place of worship, a movie theater, a dance club, or a school, and feel safe. But in light of the events of the past decade, I personally can't help but feel a little weary of these places nowadays.
We as a country cannot let the Pulse Shooting be forgotten. The issue of gun violence isn't going away, but it is getting worse. Whether we ban guns for everyone or allow more people to carry, I don't know. I don't know what should be done. Who does, really? What I do know is that something needs to be done. Whether something is added to or taken away from the current laws surrounding guns and background checks, something has to change. The lives lost in the Aurora Shooting, the Sandy Hook Shooting, the Charleston Shooting, and now the Pulse Shooting, cannot have been lost in vain.
It is times like these where it is so crucial for everyone in this country, both major political parties, all people regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, religious or political beliefs, to come together, whether you believe guns should be easily accessible, or unavailable to everyone. We are grieving this large loss of life as a country, not as separate, segmented groups. Our differences may cause issues in this constant battle against evil, but our differences and the process of working together to find a common ground could also allow us to see both sides of the fight, and hopefully find a solution to what has become our new reality.
