Let me start by saying that I am disgusted and extremely saddened by what happened at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando. It hurts my soul that someone could hate so much. My heart and all of my love goes to the victims and their family and friends.
At times like these, people always seem to jump on the first and most obvious thing to blame. In this case, most are blaming radical Islam. We act out fear. I'd be lying if I didn't say that this terrifies me since someone very close to me is LGBTQ. While it is true that terrorism is persistent problem, that is not the only issue here. The real problem is that this murderer was able to obtain an assault rifle. According to the New York Times, "The FBI investigated Mr. Mateen in 2013 when he made comments to coworkers suggesting that he had terrorist ties..." Yet, he was still able to purchase a firearm. Not only should Mateen not have been able to purchase the AR-15, he should not have been able to purchase a gun at all. You may say that he would have obtained it illegally anyways. Still, accessing a high-powered firearm or any gun like that should not be so easy.
Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump, released a statement where he immediately blamed immigration and radical Islam. Mateen was an American citizen. I'm tired of hearing Trump scream "dirty immigrants" every time there is a problem in this country recently.
On the other hand, Obama's statement was more focused on healing than revenge. He was also smart enough to realize that this is very much a gun issue. In his statement, which you can find on whitehouse.gov, he said "This massacre is therefore a further reminder of how easy it is for someone to get their hands on a weapon that lets them shoot people in a school, or in a house of worship, or a movie theater, or a nightclub. And we have to decide if that's the kind of country we want to be. And to actively do nothing is a decision as well."
Let's stop pretending that this is about solely radical Islam or immigration. This is about homophobia and also the accessibility of firearms. Nobody needs a military grade weapon and just because almost a year ago gay marriage was legalized, does not mean that there isn't still hatred for these people out there. American citizens need to be vigilant. They also need to realize that fighting oppression is an ongoing battle that may never end. But, who do you want to be remembered as? As an oppressor? Or as somebody who fought the good fight?
