After Orlando, Florida experienced two tragic events this weekend, the country is shaken by the hate that caused many innocent deaths. Christina Grimmie, a season 6 contestant of “The Voice” was shot at her own concert in Orlando on June 10^th. About two days later, early morning of the 12^th, 50 people were killed and 53 left injured at a gay nightclub shooting as an act of terrorism.

Omar Mateen, responsible for the nightclub massacre, was a U.S. citizen but pledged his allegiance to ISIS during a 911 call while he was inside the club. He previously worked as a security guard at a private security company and had to have a gun for work purposes but just days ago bought an AR15-type riffle, which was used for the shootings along with a handgun.

June is Gay Pride month across the nation, and Orlando recently wrapped up its annual week-long Gay Days festival. Up to 150,000 in the LGBT community attended area theme parks, gay nightclubs and special events. It remains one of the largest gay pride events in the world.

Buying an assault riffle, used in many mass shootings, and choosing to go to Orlando during this time proves that the attack was very much planned. But why? Just because one man was a homophobe? Where is the love in America? So what if someone likes the same race. So what if someone is African American, Mexican, Jewish, or gay. Race, ethnicity, sexual preferences, someone’s disability, etc. does not matter. What matters is if someone is a good person. Kindness and love should be the topic of news stories, not acts of terror and hate crimes. America is home of the free and that includes freedom of self. Together we should protect and accept those who are discriminated against because they are different or not how one believes they should be. Violence is definitely not the answer to any disagreement.

Another topic for debate is why AR 15-type riffles are for sale for purposes unaffiliated to military or police use. It was the same type used in the Sandy Hook school shooting and investigators found that Adam Lanza suffered from many serious mental disorders. It was also used in the Colorado movie theater shooting and in San Bernardino, California. The assault riffles are popular in mass shootings because of its ability to fire many rounds of ammunition in a short period of time. Together stricter gun purchasing laws, especially bans on assault riffles, and kinder people can create a more peaceful world.

Don't just pray for Orlando, pray for peace in the World and especially those personally affected by hate crimes.