Fifty people lost their lives in what can only be described as a horrific tragedy. They went out to a club to have fun, dance, drink and spend time with their friends. They never could have imagined that their night would end in a hail of bullets. That the music would be interrupted by the staccato of gunfire from a legally bought and easily obtained AR-15 rifle. But that is exactly what happened. Now the friends and family of those fifty people must deal with an unbearable, inexplicable loss. The image of the mother in tears in the still dark hours of the morning trying to find out what happened to her son remains with me. She knew only that her son’s friend had been shot multiple times and that her son had been sitting with his friend. Her story is not isolated as more than one hundred families and friends try to find what happened to their loved ones who went to that club. Clinging to hope, yet knowing that there are fifty people dead, the wait must be unimaginable.
We learn every day that there are no places where we are safe. Not city streets, not schools, not college campuses, not Army bases, not a public meeting in a supermarket parking lot with a member of the House of Representatives, not movie theaters, not a Temple, not a Church, not a meet and greet with fans after a concert, and not a nightclub opened in memory of a man who lost his battle with AIDS.
The shooter has been identified as Muslim and had pledged his loyalty to Isis. But whether this will ultimately be ruled an act of terror, a hate crime or both, will be of no solace to those who lost loved ones. But that will, of course, bring more outrage against all Muslims, calls for bans against Muslims entering the United states and renewed demands for swift justice against all Muslims and even their families. Donald Trump has already tweeted a statement which calls in to question, yet again, his judgment and sense of propriety about being congratulated about being right about Muslims.
There will be little talk about the fact that fundamentalists of all religions routinely call for the death of homosexuals, not just in other countries, but here in the United States, as well. There will be boisterous objections to any discussion about why AR-15 rifles have no place in the day to lives of our citizens. There will also be equally boisterous objections to any discussion about the fact that are people who should not have any access to guns.
But there will still be fifty people dead…
Moderately liberal, liberally moderate, American flag waving Democrat! Bachelor of Arts in History with concentration in Early American History and Abraham Lincoln
Graduate student pursuing a Master of Arts Degree online in American History at Southern New Hampshire University