On October 1, 2017, a gunman staying in the Mandalay Bay Hotel overlooking the Route 91 Harvest Festival decided to open fire.
This terrorist (yes, I said terrorist – because that’s exactly what he is) killed at least 58 innocent people and injured around 500 others. These 558-ish people were just attending a country concert.
They did no wrong. They just wanted to spend the evening surrounded by family and friends and have a good time. Now, they are no longer with us, or will forever be physically and emotionally scarred.
Enough is enough. I’m sick of waking up to the news of another terrorist attack, another shooting, another set of innocent lives that will no longer be with us. In my twenty years of living, I’ve heard of shootings at high schools, on college campuses, at elementary schools, in movie theatres, in clubs, and now at a concert.
Is anywhere safe anymore?
Can I go to class without the fear that someone will shoot me?
And better yet – when is our government going to do something about this?
Your thoughts and prayers will not solve this issue. Sure, it is important that we send our thoughts to the countless families who have lost someone due to gun violence and terrorism. But at the end of the day, all these thoughts and prayers are are thoughts and prayers.
They are not going to make a difference.
Action is what will stop this from happening, so we no longer have to send our thoughts and prayers to the families of victims of a terrorist attack. So we no longer have to turn to media to write op-end pieces urging for action.
Action is exactly what we need.
Every time there is a tragedy like this, we call it one of the worst shootings in modern US history. We are upset. We are scared. We are angry. We spend the next few weeks sharing news articles on Facebook and learning the stories of the victims.
We are pissed off because gun laws are not strict enough to stop this from happening. We get in arguments with individuals on the opposite side of the political spectrum who disagree with our thoughts on gun control. And more often than not, you know what we avoid? Taking action to make this from happening.
It’s time to make a difference, to say we’ve had enough of living in a country where we can’t even leave our house without fear that we will be involved in a mass shooting.
Call your member of Congress. Annoy your representatives on social media with your opinions – do not let them go unheard. Call even the most local representative and tell them how you feel.
Share all your anger and frustration about the state of our nation with them. Support gun reform groups, financially if you can or just be their biggest cheerleader. Educate yourself on federal and state gun laws so you know exactly what the issues are. Register to vote and make sure you actually vote. Take action and use your voice – enough is enough, and unless we stand up, this is going to happen again.
We don’t know when. We don’t know where. But we know it will happen.
