I don't cry anymore when I hear about mass shootings. I remember after the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, which occurred not far from my home, I sat in front of the TV and could not be moved, sobbing as I watched the news break that 26 people had been murdered. Today, July 25th, I got a notification from CNN that 2 people were killed and over a dozen were injured in a shooting in Fort Myers, Florida. My reaction was very different. I took a deep breath, then went on with my day.
I've become desensitized to all this violence, and I know I'm not the only one. When did almost daily news of shootings become normal? When did we start accepting that gun violence was just a part of life? When did we decide there was nothing we could do about all this blood?
These brutal, violent attacks are disproportionally happening in the United States, in part because of our shockingly lax gun laws. The worst part is that after one of these attacks, nothing changes. No laws are passed, no votes are held, no real impact is made. Instead, we hear three words that have lost all meaning: thoughts and prayers. Politicians, including ones who are against any form of gun control, spout these words like they're reading a script, over and over, the same for every mass shooting. At some point you must wonder: where in the minds of these politicians do their thoughts and prayers end and the NRA cash-induced opinions begin?
I'm so exhausted. So many people who support common sense gun control are. We've fought and fought for votes on bills that could save lives. We've filibustered for hours, only to have nothing change. It's tiring, to keep rolling the boulder of progress up a steep hill, only for it to stop budging.
It's time to face the facts: people condoned gun violence when they allowed 20 children to die violently in an elementary school, yet changed nothing in America. But we cannot give up the fight. We must keep pushing for real gun reform, that is the only way we will see an end to our gun violence problem. That is how we can see the end of the deaths.
I'm tired of thoughts and prayers. Let's have action.
