America is once again in mourning for another community traumatized by gun violence. On the morning of October 1, a deranged young man took not one, but six guns, to Oregon's Umpqua Community College. Ten people were killed and nine more were injured in the attack before it was over. The shooter was among those who died that day.
We never know which day the next mass shooting will occur, but there is no doubt that it will happen again. After every shooting, millions of people scream that we need better gun laws, help for the mentally ill or that these deranged people would have gotten their hands on weapons if they really wanted to. But, it's time for us to have this epiphany – legislation will not fix this problem.
In the aftermath of the attack, there have been many reports about the gunman and what happened during the event. According to those reports, after charging into a room, he asked all of the Christians to stand up, and then executed them. For those who weren’t Christian, they were shot in the leg. The reason for this remains unclear.
The gunman came well prepared with several handguns, a long gun, a significant amount of ammunition, and a bulletproof vest.
Later that night, as the tiny community remained in shock, a vigil took place. They stood on the college campus singing, crying, and mourning the loss of loved ones. As that took place, President Obama took the podium to make a statement about the attack. The president walked up there looking defeated, disappointed and outraged. He has taken the podium in the same situation 15 times during his presidency. But this time, he looked different.
“Somehow this has become routine. The reporting is routine. My response here at this podium ends up being routine, the conversation in the aftermath of it... We have become numb to this,” the president stated.
For lack of a better word, President Obama’s speech was real. His emotions were out on the table as he pleaded for stricter gun laws. His address to the country was not about policy or his presidency. It was a desperate plea to fix this problem before more people have to lose loved ones.
But this problem has irreversibly changed the country... there's no legislation that can will correct this horrific problem.
Within the past four months there have been shootings at a church, a movie theater, and now a college campus. These shootings aren’t taking place in back alleys late at night, but at indiscriminate places at indiscriminate times. We leave our houses every day with the expectation that we will make it home safely that night. Parents expect to see their children and children expect to see their parents. It is unthinkable to consider the alternative. But that simple thought, that basic expectation has been put in jeopardy by what seems to be the progressively increasing frequency of these events.
These mass shootings, which have surpassed 30 in the past 15 years, have forever changed our mindsets. We no longer live in a seemingly safe world. Instead, people constantly live with a fear in the back of their mind of what could happen. Our minds are always on high alert just waiting for a tragedy to occur. It’s become a sad reality of what our society has turned into.
While Congress, the people we elect to represent us, continues to debate in circles about gun control, we will continue to go about our business until the next mass shooting occurs.
Therefore, as a society, we need to come to terms with the fact that our government cannot fix this problem. No amount of laws, background checks, or political debate can solve the gun violence problem in this country. Until society can muster up a solution to end this crisis, there will always be a hint of terror in the back of our minds wherever we go.
