Gun violence, specifically mass shootings, has crippled America, the beautiful nation and leader of the free world. Yet no one wants to address this issue because ISIS and immigration are more imminent threats than the guy from down the street who shot and killed innocent civilians for no apparent reason.
It’s easy to point the finger when it’s an outsider killing Americans, because the “us-against-them” rhetoric is palpable and easier to sell in campaigns. I get it — some of us want stricter gun laws, and some of us don’t. But when we turn on our TV’s and see tear-stained cheeks after yet another massacre, is a stalemate on gun policies really worth it?
You know what we need? More guns because nothing solves a problem better than a good old shootout. That’s right. Because the teachers at Sandy Hook should’ve been armed and ready to go at any moment in an elementary school. Or those people in the lawnmower factory in Kansas should’ve come to work with guns slung over their shoulders. Better yet, let’s just act like we care about it and mention it in a presidential speech here and there, but don’t harp on it too much because we might need those conservative votes.
You know what’s even more fun? Watching the president give another eloquent speech on the tragedy that has just occurred. Then, with those piercing eyes, he demands change, and the crowd applauds his noble effort to do absolutely nothing. But he shouldn’t do anything right? Because restricting guns infringes upon liberty. But what about the victim’s liberty? What about that child who has lost a mother or father to senseless killing?
If giving up my right to own a gun means saving one life in the future, then, by all means, take that right away. When Iraqis are killing each other, they are barbaric and tainted by religion, but when we kill each other, it’s a right that we must not tamper with, or it’s a selling point in a campaign. The hypocrisy is admirable America — good job.
This is not a Democratic or Republican critique; it’s a plea for humanity. A plea for us to understand the gravity of the situation. America is heading down a dark, blood-smeared path. According to CNN.com, America is leading the world in mass shootings. I know we love to be number one, but I’m sure no other country is coveting that title. I’m sorry, America, but Canada is starting to look really appealing right now. I mean, they’re nice, and they aren’t really big on the mass shootings trend.
Moreover, Americans have the attention span of an anxious 3-year-old. We’ll care about it now, we’ll stand in solidarity now, and then we’ll move on. Because a couple days from now, Kim Kardashian is going to have a nip slip, and then all these talks and movements will die down, and we’ll continue to live under the illusion that all is well. We’re playing a dangerous game of amnesia. We should never forget the tears, we should never forget the blood on the streets, and we must never forget the lives that were lost, because if we forget, then we’ll have no incentive to change.
The best way to console the families of those whom we have lost is to one day tell them that their loss was not in vain. One day, we should be able to tell these families that their loss meant so much to us as a country, that we are pushing for a change. The families of the victims should not feel like their loved ones’ lives are bargaining chips for political motives.
My heart goes to out every single person affected by these mass shootings, and, even if the rest of America forgets that this is an issue, I never will.
