On Wednesday, June 8, 2016, my family and I left for a trip to Orlando, Florida. We were all stoked for what the trip was going to entail: we were going to visit Universal Studios/Universal Islands of Adventure, try to go to the beach, go to Disney Springs, and watch my sister play in a softball showcase tournament. Personally, I was excited to explore a big city like Orlando.
The thought of terrorist attacks and mass shootings occurring right around the corner from my hotel never crossed my mind.
On Friday, June 10, 2016, Christina Grimmie was shot after her show at The Plaza Theater in Orlando. For those who aren't familiar with Grimmie, she is a 22-year-old singer that rose to stardom on The Voice, as well as through her popular Youtube videos. Kevin Loibl shot Grimmie as she was signing autographs for fans, then shot himself. Grimmie died in the hospital a few hours later, and was officially declared dead on June 11th.
On Saturday, June 11, 2016, the worst mass shooting in United States history occurred at Pulse Orlando, a gay club just south of downtown Orlando. 50 were killed and 53 are injured, and one officer was wounded. Omar Mateen, the shooter, was heard acknowledging his allegiance to the Islamic State during a 911 call that took place that night. Mateen held people hostage for hours until he was shot by the SWAT team early Sunday morning.
So what does all of this mean?
Most tweets and Facebook posts will tell you that the problem of mass shootings can be solved by gun control and regulation. You'll see an array of opinions: some think that guns should be banned, some think that gun laws and regulations need to be more strict, and some are somewhere in between. I'm not going to insert my political opinions here, because at this point in time, they don't matter. Politics are irrelevant.
The fact that 50 people were killed just because they were at a gay bar last night is terrifying. Half of those people probably weren't even gay. The fact that a celebrity was shot while signing autographs for her fans is ridiculous. Mass shootings are everywhere: movie theaters, schools, universities, clubs, airports, and churches. All of the shooters had different motivations and purposes for what they did, but they did have one thing in common: they all had hate in their hearts.
America is facing a problem that is much bigger than gun control and regulation. Society today is filled with so much hatred and close-mindedness, and that is something that no law can change. There cannot and will not be a law against those with hate filled in their hearts. There cannot and will not be a law against those who are so close-minded that they refuse to accept that others are different. No law can fix that. This weekend, two men in Orlando woke up and planned to kill people. It's that simple. These cowards had enough hate in their hearts to take the lives of 51 innocent people. If gun control and regulation was more strict, I would be willing to bet that these men would have still found a way to gain access to guns and follow through with their actions. As a society, we need to take a look in the mirror and realize that these issues are much deeper than gun control. Times are changing, and as times change, ideas and laws are going to change too.
And as I sit and write this article in the Orlando airport, I can't help but find myself glancing around a little bit more than usual. I am scared for my life, and I am scared for what the future holds. I am scared to get on an airplane and go home. I am scared that the stranger sitting next to me might have a hate filled heart, or that one of the passengers on the plane might harm my family and I.
I shouldn't be afraid to go about my daily activities. The hate needs to stop.
Wake up, America.
