I want to start off by saying, thoughts and prayers out to the victims of this tragedy. So far what we know is that there are over 60 dead, and over 400 injured by this unfortunate event. This is by far the deadliest shooting the U.S. has seen. The gunman was 64-year-old Stephen Paddock, who fired hundreds of rounds from his AR-15. More than 19 rifles were found in the hotel room across from the concert he shot at (The New York Times). Sadly, the number will still be on the rise as many are in critical condition at the hospital.
Now that I’ve covered the facts, there are a few things that trouble me about this incident. Specifically, the President’s response to it. He calls it “an act of pure evil” and shies away from acknowledging that it is an act of domestic terrorism. The way the President has acknowledged prior tragedies without naming them how they come gives off the idea that he condones it to a certain extent. For example, the man who drove into a group of protestors. He didn’t address white supremacists as the problem, and instead said that both sides were at fault when clearly the perpetrator was part of the W.S. group. It baffles me how the president can dismiss white supremacism and not call terrorist acts what they are as they are committed by white Americans. Adding to the President’s agenda on dismissing hate, many articles have been pitying the old gunman, saying he had a “troubled history”. Stories like this where people are clearly at fault and had control over their actions while committing these horrendous crimes, and trying to lighten the impact because of their past or “they went to church” just hurt the victims of these tragedies.
There’s not much else to say about this incident other than I hope we can be able to address domestic terrorism and other hate as it happens. As well as ending the pity we have for the perpetrators of hate, regardless of their background and beliefs.
If you would like to help those effected by this tragedy here is a link on how to do so.