Gifted with an incredible voice and a love of performing, Christina Grimmie was well on her way to becoming a star. Though she garnered nationwide attention after her third place finish in the 2014 season of the popular singing competition "The Voice," the young artist had been pursuing a passion for music ever since she was a little girl. Those who knew Christina would describe her as an enthusiastic, radiant woman whose talent was only surpassed by her kindness towards others. Up and coming artists would look to her as an inspiration to follow their own dreams, and nobody doubted that she had a long and successful career ahead of her. But on the night of June 10th, 2016, while signing autographs after a concert in Orlando Florida, Christina found herself confronted by Kevin James Loibl, a man who had traveled for miles just to see her perform. Sticking to her compassionate nature, the young musician welcomed him with arms wide open, as her brother looked on from a nearby table. Seconds later, Loibl sent several bullets careening into her chest from the handgun he had been concealing in his jacket. At only 22 years old, Christina’s decade-long journey came to an abrupt end.
As terrible as it sounds, Christina’s death is not the only one of its kind. Not even close. Gun violence has accounted for nearly 6,000 deaths in the USA in the first half of 2016 alone. Of those, nearly 1,500 have been under the age of 18. Despite being one of the most technologically and economically advanced nations in the world, we lead most other countries in terms of public firearm deaths by thousands. And the list of those who fall victim to these attacks grows every day. We used to think that no sane person could be so cruel as to murder innocent civilians, let alone children, but stories like Sandy Hook Elementary and Virginia Tech serve as a constant reminder that these things can and will happen if nothing is done to prevent them.
Every year, thousands of families like Christina’s must grieve over the loss of their sons and daughters, but despite the overwhelming evidence that our country’s system of regulating gun control is inadequate, very little seems to occur in order to fix the problem. That’s not to say that no effort has been made; talks about stricter background checks and screening for mental disorders have come up. Still, if an incident such as Christina’s can happen in public, then there is an obvious need for more a drastic change. Obviously, the situation is a bit more complicated than that, as certain people have their own beliefs as to their right to bear arms, or just how much control the government should have. But in times like these, we should be able to put aside our political or personal differences and see as Americans that what we are allowing to happen in our own country is simply inhumane. We have the power as a society to put an end to all of these needless deaths, it’s just a matter of banding together and going through with that goal in mind.
The loss of Christina Grimmie is nothing short of tragic. For her fans, she was an amazing performer who will never be given the chance to show the world her true potential. For her family, she was a sister and a daughter whom they will never be able to see or hold ever again. To outlive one’s own child, especially at such a young age, is a pain no parent deserves to go through. But Christina Grimmie’s death should not fade away into yet another entry into the long list of victims of gun violence. Instead, her story should serve as a symbol of our need to band together and finally put an end to the senseless violence that has plagued our society for so long. For real change to occur, there cannot be those who sit by and accept gun violence as an unavoidable evil in the world. Whether it means implementing stricter background checks, screening for mental disorders, or even enforcing weapons bans, we all need to be ready to put in the work it takes to make our country a safer place for our children.
