As I sit in my college dorm room on this afternoon of November 5, 2017, I'm struggling to understand why things happen in the world. Sutherland Springs, Texas - a town of approximately 400 residents, experienced a horrifying event that devastated the town in its entirety. At around 11:30 AM today, a man named Devin Kelley opened fire on the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, killing 26 innocent people and injuring 20 more. It is unclear why Kelley did what he did, but it was said in an article from CNN that he was often involved in disputes not only domestically with his wife, but also with his in-laws who attended the First Baptist Church. It is shown that Kelley seemed to be a very angry and unstable man who had more problems than most even knew of.
I am struggling with this news, because these mass shootings keep happening. We don't always hear about all of them because not all of them are as big and extreme as this one, but we actually see mass shootings way more often than you would think. Click here to see a record of mass shootings dating back at least 50 years, including stats on the locations and interactive sections which includes being able to learn about the victims involved in these mass shootings. I encourage everyone to go look at the website and learn about just how often this happens.
I am struggling because these are happening more and more, and they happen everywhere: schools, churches, festivals, clubs, grocery stores, everywhere. There are days where I walk around my college campus and I look questioningly at everyone. I stand in the line at Starbucks on campus or sit in the University Center and I wonder what I'd do if someone loses their temper. I hear professor's complain about having to open the door for late class comers because they keep the classroom doors locked, and I wonder what would happen if they just happened to leave the door unlocked one day. I go to work and wonder what might happen if a customer just happens to get angry enough with one of us girls.
As hard as I try not to fear and have faith that this won't happen to me, it very well could, and unfortunately I have to be aware of that - I have no choice but to face the reality that I go to a college campus, and there is a chance this could happen to me.
I truly hope that eventually, change will come from this and that my children will be able to live in a world where they do not have to fear going to the grocery store or going to school - where they can be safe and I can protect them. Someone who reads this might tell me to stop living in my world of rainbows because there will always be evil in this world. Although I am well aware of this, I will always have hope in this and faith that one day this country will be a better place.