As you may have already heard, on Thursday, November 8, 2018 a shooting took place in Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks, California. Twelve people have been declared dead.
Yesterday, I woke up on the east coast to another headline, another string of tweets, another Instagram post, and another news report of a shooting which left twelve innocent people dead in a bar hosting a college country night. It's honestly devastating and completely heartbreaking that this no longer shocks me anymore and doesn't feel like some foreign event.
I am twenty-two years old and was only 2 years old when the Columbine shooting took place. I am living in a generation of young adults who are becoming numb to the news of shootings and have lived a life where shootings are a constant everyday threat. My deepest prayers, thoughts and love go out to the families and friends of the borderline shooting victims and the families of all of the victims of past shootings. But, when is this going to end?
Every shooting hurts. Every single shooting in some way hurts all of us as a country because we somehow can connect to these people. We are a country living in constant fear. But, this shooting in particular hits a sore spot in me. As a senior in college who has often found myself out at college themed nights at bars, it really is starting to feel like there is no hope.
No one is safe. In my short lifetime, I have seen people of all ages become victims to this tragedy. High school kids, elementary schools, movie theaters, concerts, bars. No where feels safe, and I feel like now, more then ever, I never want to leave the house. I don't feel safe at school, I don't feel safe going shopping or going out to eat.
I feel like at all times I must stay alert to my surroundings.
This epidemic is only getting worse. I have seen rallies and protests take place and so many people taking action in order to try and keep our people safe. But, here we are, with another twelve people lost. I grew up going to school and listening to the news where they insisted the threats came from outside of our country. But, in my lifetime I have only witnessed threats from within... that may be the scariest feeling of all.
I write this feeling numb, heartbroken and tired. We need change, we need to feel safe. This world is not a world I feel safe in and it is not a world I would ever want to raise children in. It is absolutely pertinent that we as a community and as a country come together to be one. We have to stand together and keep fighting to end this war against mass shootings. If we don't we are only going to continue this path of loss and sorrow.
