When I got a text from one of my friends asking if I’d heard about the shooting in Las Vegas, I didn’t fully process it. I feel that recently, I’ve been hearing of so many shootings that I start to give them less attention.
Especially while studying abroad in Denmark, I oftentimes feel very detached from American politics and strife. And then, when I entered my Sociology class on Monday, I looked to one of my classmates who is from Las Vegas. Remembering what I was texted prior to this class, I went over to give her a hug and asked her how she was doing.
Thankfully, her family was safe. She learned about the shooting in the morning, but there was still confusion to as how many people were killed and how many were injured. She is staying with a host family and mentioned to me that when she walked downstairs for breakfast that morning, her host mom was visibly shaken up.
Her host mom knew about the shooting and was concerned as to how my friend would feel. She assumed it would be so hurtful and shocking because Las Vegas was her home city, and that she would have a direct connection with it.
And she’s right. My friend does have a personal connection to it. That is her home city. But, today, it doesn’t seem unreasonable that there will be shootings in our hometowns. It seems no one is immune to this violence.
After this interaction, my friend realized her desensitization to this situation - the desensitization we all feel at this point in time. That these things are tragic, but they happen. But, as we subsequently discussed, if something like this happened in Denmark, everything would shut down. Changes would be made. But, something would have been done after a tragedy like Sandy Hook. Or Aurora. Or Orlando.
So then what’s the breaking point? When is it really enough?
Like many young Americans, my newsfeed has been saturated with political articles, videos, and status updates about who is right and wrong.
Posts about tragedy, condolences, and prayers.
And I’ll admit, I post occasionally regarding such things. Yet, recently I’ve found myself getting weary. I look at statistics about gun violence and get discouraged. I see articles referencing how much politicians get from the NRA, and I feel helpless. I feel that my voice is not enough.
Then, I take a step back and realize what it is that discourages me. A feeling that politicians are corrupt, right? Well, yes. But, moreover, the realization that it seems politicians need to be reprimanded in order to take action. That there have to be 59 dead and hundreds injured for them to take a stand - or for us to take a stand.
In June of 2016, we had another deadliest shooting in modern American history. 49 people dead in Orlando. I thought surely something would change after that. And then I think back to 2012 when 26 people were murdered in Newtown, Connecticut. 20 of them children, between six and seven years old. I remember again thinking surely something would change. No person with a conscious can allow things to go on as they are. I thought that the mass murder of children would be the last thread, and yet it seems to have merely be included in a listing of shootings. As if these shootings are unfortunate, but not avoidable.
But why?
I’ll admit, I am not an expert on U.S. history or political science. It’s not my major in college, and I don’t want a career in it. However, I am a U.S. citizen who cares about our democracy and the well-being of our people. When I was in high school, my AP U.S. Government teacher required that we all memorize the 27 Amendments.
I, sadly, can’t recite them all now without looking them up, but I remember learning about the Amendments in context. I remembered learning about the Bill of Rights as it functioned within our nation’s history. I recall that the Second Amendment wasn’t created for individuals to own upwards of ten automatic weapons, but that a well-regulated militia should have the right to ‘keep and bear arms’ when it is necessary to the security of a free state.
In the spirit of honesty, I obviously am not a huge supporter of guns. I’d never want to own a gun, be in a situation where I need to use a gun, or live in a house with guns.
Yet, I recognize it is a Constitutional right. But why is it so damn common for Americans to pick and choose parts of our Constitution that we want to listen to, and ignore those that don’t fall in line with a certain belief system. If the argument is that gun control legislation would restrict our Constitutional rights, why is it that when a man exercises his First Amendment right to freedom of speech by taking a knee, he is publicly shamed?
Every time I look at the news, I find myself getting discouraged. It’s becoming harder and harder to be positive in a world so much pain and senseless death. And yet, I still believe in the goodness of people. There were still hundreds upon hundreds of people who turned out to donate blood for the victims of the Las Vegas shooting. People calling the Red Cross to see what they can do to help those affected by this horrific act of terror. I believe in their goodness, but I question their logic.
You’ve heard this before. When there is an issue with airport security, we change the protocol. When there is an issue with the safety of cars, changes are made to its’ production. So when there is an issue with guns, why don’t we change it? I don’t know what the solution is, but I know things can’t go on as they are.
As much as I’ve prayed for the victims of this shooting these past few days, I realize that that isn’t enough. I’ve realized that prayers are good, but change is imperative. I’ve realized that you can still love and defend our Constitution, while still realizing there are too many lives lost at the expense of a phrase.
