I am 17 years old, and so far I've seen more mass shootings than birthdays.
Since 2000, we have lived through 160+ mass shootings in just the U.S.
People are blaming our poor gun control for these shootings and then suddenly it turns into a political thing. Mass shootings aren't politics or gun control, mass shootings are innocent people dying or getting hurt.
So before you post your comment about how our president should be doing more or about how we need better gun laws, think about the people who don't get to go home to their families. Think about the people who were just trying to live life.
The first mass shooting I experienced was on December 26, 2000, in Wakefield, Massachusetts. A man shot and killed seven of his co-workers at Edgewater Technology.
A few years later, March 12, 2005, Brookfield, Wisconsin, happened. A man killed seven people of Living Church of God at Sheraton Hotel before killing himself.
Weeks later, March 21, 2005, Red Lake, Minnesota. A 16-year-old boy killed 10 people before turning the gun on himself.
January 30, 2006, Goleta, California, a former postal worker shot and killed seven of her former co-workers, including herself.
October 2, 2006, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, a man kills five female students inside an Amish schoolhouse before committing suicide.
February 12, 2007, Salt Lake City, Utah, 18-year-old shot and killed five people at Trolley Square Mall and was fatally shot by the police.
April 16, 2007, Blacksburg, Virginia, college student kills 32 people at Virginia Tech before killing himself.
October 7, 2007, Crandon, Wisconsin, Sherrif deputy kills six people and himself at a post-homecoming party in an apartment.
December 5, 2007, Omaha, Nebraska, man kills eight people and himself at Westroads Mall.
February 2, 2008, Kirkwood, Missouri, man shoots and kills five people at a public city council meeting before being killed by the police.
February 14, 2008, Dekalb, Ilinois, man kills five people on the campus of Northern Illinois University before killing himself.
June 25, 2008, Henderson, Kentucky, man kills five people at Atlantis Plastics Factory before taking his own life.
April 3, 2009, Binghampton, New York, man kills 14 people at the American Civic Association before killing himself.
August 3, 2010, Manchester, Connecticut, man kills eight people At Hartford Distributors before committing suicide.
September 6, 2011, Carson City, Nevada, man kills four people and himself inside of an IHOP.
This is only 15 of the shootings since 2000 – 2011.
15 shootings before I even became a teenager. 128 innocent lives lost. 128 souls that never got to go home to their families.
This is the America we live in, where mass shootings happen very often and not much action is taken. We need to form a better America for our future. We do not need to be scared of walking out of our own homes.
July 20, 2012, Aurora, Colorado, a man kills 12 people in a movie theater at a midnight premiere of "The Dark Knight Rises."
August 5, 2012, Oak Creek, Wisconsin, man kills four people inside a Sikh temple before turning the gun on himself.
December 14, 2012, Newtown, Connecticut, the first shooting I saw broadcasted on TV. Man kills 26 people, including his mother, at Sandy Hook Elementary, before killing himself.
March 13, 2013, Herkimer, New York, Man kills 4 people at a car wash and barbershop before being shot by the police.
September 16, 2013, Washington, D.C., man shoots and kills 12 people inside the Washington Navy Yard before being killed by the police.
June 7, 2013, Santa Monica, California, a man opens fire in a home and later on campus at Santa Monica College, killing five people, before being killing in a shootout with the police.
July 26, 2013, Hialeah, Florida, man kills six people in his apartment complex before setting fire to his own apartment, he was later killed by the SWAT team.
September 14, 2014, Bell, Florida, a man shot and killed his granddaughter and six other grandchildren before killing himself.
May 17, 2015, Waco, Texas, rival motorcycle gangs kill nine at a restaurant.
June 17, 2015, Charleston, South Carolina, a man walks into a historic church and kills nine people.
October 1, 2015, Rosberg, Oregon, a man opens fire at a community college and kills nine and leaves seven wounded before being shot to death by police.
November 27, 2015, Colorado Springs, Colorado, a man kills three and wounds nine in a Planned Parenthood health clinic.
December 2, 2015, San Bernardino, California, a man and woman open fire at a holiday party, killing 14 people and injuring 17 others.
Finally, the last two which break my heart into pieces and are the reasoning of this article.
June 12, 2016, Orlando, Florida, a man walks into Pulse nightclub, killing 49 people and injuring 53 others. Former President Barack Obama called this an "act of terror and hate."
October 1, 2017, Las Vegas, Nevada, a man opens fire on the 32nd floor of a hotel overlooking a Jason Aldean concert at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, leaving 58 dead and over 500 people injured.
This was the largest and deadliest mass shooting the US has ever seen.
228 people dead, 356 dead total innocent lives were taken since I was born. This is uncalled for and so sickening to see how fast these numbers are rising.
God Bless these poor people and their families. We are praying for you, Las Vegas.
