This past Thursday, a 26-year-old man named Chris Harper Mercer opened fire on the peaceful Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon. He killed 10 people and injured seven more. Sadly, at this point, it is difficult for such words to sound new and shocking. Mass shootings, especially those which take place at schools, have become textbook in the U.S., as President Obama pointed out during his statement following the shooting.
“Somehow this has become routine…we’ve become numb to this,” President Obama said, looking as tired and worn-out as many Americans feel whenever one of these tragedies occur.
Not only have the tragic shootings themselves begun to seem routine, but the reactions of the American people are the same. First, there is heavy news coverage, followed by condolences for the families of victims and impassioned statements from people on both sides of the gun control issue across social media. Gradually, media coverage dies down, and people distanced from the tragedy’s epicenter continue with their lives until the next shooting happens.
At first, there appeared to be nothing wrong with this reaction to a mass shooting. After all, such a horror will shake people to their cores; they will naturally struggle to find a way to respond to their emotional turmoil regarding such an unusual occurrence. Then it became less unusual. In fact, it became so common that the president can describe the entire country’s (including his own) reactions to it as routine.
Enough is enough. From Aurora, to Newtown, to D.C., to Charleston, to Rosenburg, to countless other towns and cities across the nation, haven’t enough families suffered? Hasn’t enough of America’s youth been denied the right to grow old? While it is easy to stick to the established routine, we can no longer afford to do so. Americans must take the next step if we are to elicit change. As President Obama emphasized, “We collectively are answerable to those families who lose loved ones because of our inaction.” The time has come for Americans, both as a collective and as individuals, to demand change.
How can we go about this? Truly, social media can be a tool of change, if used effectively. Tweet to your representatives and senators, both at the state and federal level. Tell them how you feel about these cycles of mass shootings, and make it clear that you demand change. Send emails and letters by the dozens. Send the same exact message over and over, until they have no choice but to take notice. Channel all of your anger, your frustration, your pain toward making reform happen. Do not let your voice be heard—demand it. Make this the new routine, and destroy the numbness which should never have been allowed to form around such horror.
From past experience, it is clear that we cannot rely on the government to take action unless we insist upon it. We need each American to make an individual effort, until we become a collective so strong that no power can stop us. This is our best hope in making mass shootings a rarity in America.
