I would like to preface this article by giving my condolences and sending my prayers to the survivors and the families of the victims of the Las Vegas Massacre.
On Oct. 1, 2017, Stephen Paddock opened fire on a crowd of concert-goers, using modified semi-automatic rifles from his room on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. Paddock murdered 58 and injured over 480 innocent people. His motive remains unknown.
When tragedies like this occur, we painstakingly watch the news and late-night talk shows as they take a moment of silence and dedicate a solemn performance or monologue to the latest shooting.
Don’t misunderstand me- I find it lovely that they are thoughtful of those suffering and affected by the latest shooting, but at what point do we realize we are hearing the same reports and the same sympathies? At what point do we say “Enough is enough. Now, yes, right now is the time for change. This is what we are going to change and here is how we are going to do it?” The frequency with which we must express our condolences and lower our flags to half-staff makes our sympathetic efforts appear disingenuous.
We mustn’t just talk about change just in the wake of catastrophes; we must actually do something conducive to making real changes in our government and in our society. We must come together- regardless of political ideology- to tackle an issue that is ravaging our society like a disease.
It is imperative to understand that this is not a bipartisan issue. It’s an American issue.
Despite this fact, there are still those who argue to and fro about the constitutionality of regulating one’s right to bear arms. I’ll be frank: I support gun ownership, but I also support the institution of regulatory gun laws that will better protect myself, my family, and my fellow citizens from becoming a victim of such a heinous act as a mass shooting. Now, before some of the readers call me “another snowflake millennial,” let me explain my stance: I come from a family that owns guns. I myself know how to shoot. It is empowering to know you have the ability to defend yourself. It is frightening, though, to know that the very people who perfect their aim in the stalls next to me at the shooting range could use their skill as a tool to harm innocent people. It is for the culmination of these experiences that, for the sake of protection, I believe gun laws aimed at improving the safety of gun ownership should be instituted. I believe in the Constitution just as I hope any American would, and so we can cohesively agree we have the right to bear arms, but with that being said, let’s change gears for a moment.
To receive a driver’s license, you have to take a driving course and a driving test. If your driving seems reckless and poses a threat to others on the road, you can be pulled over by the police.
Now let’s switch back to guns. Pretty much anyone can go anywhere and buy any gun at any time- no courses, no test, no license. Sure, you need one to carry, but in this instance, we are strictly talking about gun ownership. Gun laws are not about repealing the second amendment. They are about informing the public that, constitutional right aside, guns are a weapon and with that comes great responsibility. Gun laws are a means to ensure that those taking on such a responsibility are educated about the dangers their gun comes with and how to avoid those dangers. Proposed gun laws seek to create safety courses and ownership licenses, much to the liking of driving courses and a driver’s license. So why is it that we need such an education and testing before being granted the ability to drive a car, but anyone can buy any type of gun any time they please?
There’s a discrepancy there.
I understand, as an American, that we can tend to be rather sensitive when it comes to our privacy, but when a person can own an arsenal large enough to supply a small militia and take those weapons into a public arena, privacy goes right out the front door. I value my safety and the safety of my fellow citizens much too highly to be so concerned with my privacy that I forgo safety all together. I would much rather the government know how many and what types of guns I have than live in fear that the next time I go to school, to the movies, to a nightclub, or to a concert, that it could very well be the last thing I ever do.
And so we must not simply express sympathy when such a devastation as the Las Vegas Massacre occur. Instead, we must truly sympathize with their terrible misfortune, which requires acknowledging the fact that there are flaws to our current gun laws. Recognizing this is the first step to assuring our fellow citizens, especially those directly affected, that we see their pain; we know what causes their pain; and we will do all we can to ensure that an incident like this will not happen again. Disregarding the underlying imperfections in our current legislation is equivalent to disregarding those who lost their lives, those still physically suffering from their injuries, as well as those grief-stricken over the loss of their friends and family members.
From 1982-1999, a 17-year span, there were 31 mass shootings. From 2000-2017, there were 60. Mass shootings nearly doubled in the last seventeen years compared to the first seventeen years reported in this chart. Unfortunately, one of my first thoughts, was “Well, the year’s not over yet.” Of course, I would like nothing more than such violent atrocities to cease, but the reality is they won’t- not unless legal action is undertaken.
It’s true: there exists no “magical” law that will cure America of its chronic gun violence. However, making no effort to reform or alter gun laws fixes nothing and only leaves us susceptible to future incidences, which is why it is so imperative to acknowledge the gravity of this matter and to handle it accordingly.
(Thumbnail photo courtesy of pixabay.com; Image 1 courtesy of Sangre-La.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/13453262@N03/3097869199″>jc1217.JPG via http://photopin.com”>photopin https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/”>(license))