Orlando.
From Christina Grimmie, to the mass shooting in Pulse. Both of these events happened within hours of each other. These two tragedies have been thoroughly covered by the media. Last I checked, 49 individuals who were killed in Pulse were identified. Christina Grimmie's killer was also identified and taken into custody.
Countless people on social media have shown their respect. Countless more have prepared vigils and organized rallies in solidarity.
These two events, though had different motives, ended with similar results: innocent people fatally shot because firearms that can be purchased easily in this country.
Yet somehow Trump has the audacity to say, more guns could have mitigated the Orlando attacks.
More guns ... more.
With more guns, wouldn't there be a higher chance of more deaths? A much higher chance of more violence that could have taken place? How is it logically better to have more guns than to have more regulations and restrictions?
Christina would not have had time to react if she had a gun. The people in Pulse could have missed their target if there were multiple people firing into the dark.
Some people complain that gun regulations are trying to take away the rights of American citizens to bear arms -- to take away the property of those responsible individuals who do know how to handle a gun. That isn't the point. The request for these regulations is to avoid so many people being able to start this kind of violence in the firs place. If guns are regulated from the beginning, people do not need to purchase them to try to defend themselves. It avoids this vicious cycle of violence.
But how can I make pro-gun people understand that? How can anyone?
I read somewhere:
"After 9/11, we banned knives and box cutters on airplanes. We banned liquids of more than 3 ounces. We understood the connection between these things and the loss of life that followed. So why can't we understand the connection between assault weapons and mass shootings?"
Why? What's so different?
The LGBT community needs to know we are here for them. The Muslim people need to know we do not all believe they are terrorists. Unfortunately, some people are shaming all Muslims for the Pulse shooting, but Muslims had nothing to do with this event. He was a mentally ill person, who happened to be Muslim, but that should not be part of the narrative. When do we ever hear other religions being part of the headline story?
For now, I can only think to shed light on these events, and those events that are not receiving so much attention, like the one in New Mexico or the 42 others that happened this same weekend -- to show the potential results of these weapons without proper regulations. And of course show solidarity and respect for the families, friends, and communities being affected by these events.
#RIPChristinaGrimmie #RIPPulse
