Sunday night, Stephen Craig Paddock opened fire from his hotel room aiming at 22,000 concertgoers at the Harvest Music Festival in Las Vegas, The horrific attack is named the most deadly mass shooting in modern American history taking the life of 59 people and injuring more than 500.
These shootings are happening more and more often. In fact, the previous shooting was the Pulse Night Club shooting in June 2016. Just less than 16 months ago.
The devastation continues to leave us confused and wondering where did the world go wrong. Our first reaction is to blame. Blame the shooter, government, friends of the shooter for missing the signs, and gun shops for allowing the shooter to purchase the weapon. Having an opinion is important. It is also important to not become numb to these acts of violence. Frequency doesn't mean we can wait until something worse happens to do something about it.
We need to stop moving on so quickly after these disasters happen. Instead, let's open up the conversation on these 3 topics:
1. Mental Illness
Mental illness is real. A topic we so often slide under the rug is starting to seep out of every corner. Emotions need to be talked about.
Struggling is normal. Resulting to violence when something doesn't go your way is not. Mental illness covers a large area from anxiety to schizophrenia. According to CNN, the shooter acted alone and no one was aware he was feeling this way. Even if the shooter carried out the horrific plan alone, what mentally stable person holds more than 18 guns in a hotel room with the intent to aim at 22,000 concertgoers?
Mental illness is only becoming worse after giving children a glimpse of what happens when a person becomes mentally unstable. During a segment on NBC's "Today Show", psychologist Robin Gurwitch gave insight on how to talk to your children about these violent acts. Not only should kids be informed, but adults need to learn how to talk to kids about these acts, as well as how mental illness plays a role.
2. Gun Violence
No matter where you stand on gun laws, here are questions to continue asking yourself.
What are the advantages/disadvantages to having stricter gun laws? How would stricter background check policies help or not help stop violent acts? Is it necessary to obtain military weapons in civilian life? Should there be a limit of guns a person should own? Did loopholes play a part in this attack? If you were the president, how would you respond? What are the benefits of establishing stricter laws immediately after attacks occur? What are the disadvantages to establishing stricter laws after attacks occur?
One thing we can all agree on is that these shootings need to stop. People are vocal about their issues with laws, leadership, and how shootings can be stopped. Before blaming everything under the moon, do your research on where you stand with these policies. Read the details of the Las Vegas shooting and understand where it could've been stopped. Whether you agree with America's leadership or not, these attacks need to be stopped.