On October 1st, 2017, the deadliest shooting in the United States occurred in Las Vegas, NV. The shooter, 64-year-old Stephen Paddock, killed 58 people and injured more than 500 others as he shot at a crowd of 22,000 from the 32nd floor of the Mandaly Bay Resort and Casino. In 2016, 49 people were killed at a nightclub in Orland, FL. In 2007, 32 people were killed at Virginia Tech. In 2012, 20 children and six adults were murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary School. How is this still happening?
After the breaking news of the Las Vegas shooting, a quote went viral on social media. It was reposted by dozens of celebrities and public figured such as of Gigi Hadid and Gisele Bündchen. The quote, mistaken for being written by Gloria Stenhem, was actually originally posted on Facebook by a man named Brian Murtagh. Although the author of the viral quote has been mistaken, the quote itself is still just as powerful and its impact on social media users has proved that.
"I want any young men who buys a gun to be treated like young women who seek an abortion. Think about it: a mandatory 48-hours waiting period, written permission from a parent or a judge, a note from a doctor providing that he understands what he is about to do, time spent watching a video on individual and mass murders, traveling hundreds of miles at his own expense to the nearest gun shop, and walking through protestors holding photos of loved ones killed by guns, protesters who call him a murderer."
It is a crazy concept to consider. Gun control versus abortion? Is there an actual comparison that can be made? The answer to that is yes. Both topics, gun control and abortion, are seen by certain groups of people as eventually being some form of "murder", depending on the beliefs of that group. Which one is deadlier: A woman making a personal decision to receive an abortion or selling a rifle to a person who could possibly end up taking that gun, sitting 32 floors up in a hotel room, and firing the rifle towards 22,000 innocent concert-goers?
According to the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence as of 2016, only 13 states require a background check in order to purchase a firearm. In a 2013 article posted by the Washington Post, it is shown that more than 30 states require counseling for a patient before an abortion is allowed to be performed. America, why is it so easy for a person to by a gun that could possibly have negative effects on others, but so difficult for a woman to receive a procedure that only affects her?
