School shootings, movie theater shootings, mall shootings, random shootings: the world is a dangerous place.
When James Holmes killed 12 people in the Aurora, Colorado movie theater shooting, society went into a frenzy and started demanding stricter gun control laws. While the movie theater shooting wasn't the first mass murder in America, it was a significant event that really started the fight for stricter gun control laws. Five months later, Adam Lanza took the lives of 27 people (people often forget his mom) in a mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Once more, society went into a frenzy and questioned why lawmakers had yet to do anything about gun control laws. This July and this December will mark four years since each of the shootings. You figure, lawmakers have seen enough tragedy in America to have done something about gun control laws by now, right? Guess what they've done in the past four years? Nothing.
When singer, songwriter Christina Grimmie was shot and killed late Friday night, America was devastated and shocked. Once again, Americans rallied together and questioned how such a terrible act could be performed on a such a sweet girl and talented musician who had open arms to the shooter before he shot her. Americans had minimal time to process her tragic death before another tragedy struck America. On Sunday morning, 50 people were murdered and 53 were injured in a mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, the same city Christina Grimmie was shot and killed two nights before. The nightclub shooting is now deemed the deadliest shooting in American history. As seen too many times before, Americans have rallied together in sadness and heartbreak and are demanding stricter gun control laws.
School shootings, movie theater shootings, mall shootings, random shootings: the world is a dangerous place.
Agree or disagree with me, I don't believe that stricter gun control laws will prevent mass shootings from occurring. Agree or disagree with me, I don't believe stricter gun control laws will fix the problem. While I understand that stricter gun control laws will make it harder for average citizens to purchase a gun, even now, many mass murders were committed by people deemed sane and responsible enough to carry a gun. Sources say that the nightclub shooter legally purchased the gun he used to kill 50 people and injure 53. James Holmes was incredibly intelligent and perfectly sane when he killed 12 people in the movie theater shooting. In college, he was a part of a number of honors societies, graduated with his undergraduate degree with the highest honors in neuroscience, and even got a Ph.D in neuroscience. He too legally purchased the gun he used. In 2014, a retired police officer shot and killed a man in a Florida movie theater because he refused to stop texting during the movie. He too legally purchased the gun. Sure, stricter gun control laws will make it harder for any average citizen to purchase a gun, but what can we do about the people who legally purchased a gun but used it to harm others? Nothing. There is nothing we can do. As much as we try, there are always going to be terrible, cruel, crazy people in the world who have the intent to kill. It's a sad, terrible reality.
While I can't speak for others, I believe one of the main reasons people keep insisting on stricter gun control laws is because that is the only thing they can hope for. As humans, we have to have hope in something. If citizens can't hope that stricter gun control laws will prevent these tragedies from happening, what can they hope for?
In the midst of tragedy, there are only two things we can do: pray and have hope.
We can pray for the fallen; we can pray for the injured; we can pray for the grieving; and we can pray for the future. While praying is one of the most important things we can do, having hope is just as important. If we don't have hope for the future, then we have lost. The gunman of these terrible shootings may have taken the lives of innocent people, but they have not and cannot take away our hope.
To the victims of the recent shootings and all of the past shootings, I pray for you. I pray that you're in a better place and that you're watching over your loved ones. To the victims of the recent shootings and all of the past shootings, I am so sorry that this happened to you.
In the midst of tragedy, there are only two things we can do: pray and have hope.
