Las Vegas

In times like this, all I can do is write. All I can do is share my thoughts, feelings, and ideas and hope that they move the hearts and minds of somebody out there. I’ve been meaning to write about so many things lately but I never do. I’ll write about this.

To start, the most overwhelming feeling is one of being tired. Tired of waking up and hearing that again senseless gun violence has caused the deaths and injuries of hundreds of innocent people. I’m heartbroken that we’re witnessing the worst mass shooting in American history just a year after the previous worst mass shooting ever. I’m scared that this is the new normal. We’ll all be forced to hear that again someone has opened fire on a crowd of people with an assault weapon designed to kill lots of people quickly. We’ll all have to watch as the government and media debates unrelated problems or avoids the real actions that need to be taken. And at the end of it all, we will lose hope that anything will ever change. I can only share that this is how I am beginning to feel. However, I am a hopeful person who always believes that there is an opportunity for change. I will offer my prayers, reactions and ideas for change in the aftermath of this horrific shooting in Las Vegas.

First, my prayers. I pray for the victims and their families that over time they can find peace with what happened. I pray that they will heal from all the trauma inflicted and that the families of victims will receive as much grief counseling as they need. I pray that all the injured make as fast a recovery as possible and that any medical or counseling needed will be provided to them. I pray for the trauma counselors and doctors working with victims that they can take care of their health as they work day and night helping those that were affected. I pray for our elected officials that they can recognize the dangerous cycle we are in and have the courage to act and make changes. Finally, I want to offer a prayer for the shooter himself. I pray that whatever pain or mental health issue that drove him to commit this act of violence has been lifted from his shoulders in his death. I pray that he too finds whatever peace he was seeking. These are sincere prayers that I also hope to pair with genuine actions.

I hope that we can all take the time to ask the necessary questions in order to process what just happened. How was this man allowed to legally acquire all the assault rifles and ammunition that he had in his hotel suite? Also, how was he able to safely transport all of these deadly weapons up to his 32nd floor suite of the Mandalay Bay hotel? Finally, let’s make sure that we have a reality check as well. We must remember that in Nevada, none of what the shooter did is currently illegal. He had every right to legally acquire all the weapons and ammunition that he did. As far as I know, he was also able to carry these weapons wherever he wanted to without penalty. Is that a problem? My answer: yes.

What do I want to do? Personally, I want to go the route of Australia and institute a nationwide buyback of all civilian owned guns. I want to ban civilian ownership of guns entirely. Australia did it after their mass shooting and they have not had a mass shooting since. That is the route we need to go. How would we do that? One way to do this would be to have gun ranges participate in these buybacks. Allow licensed professionals to operate gun ranges where civilians can go to learn how to safely operate firearms in a controlled environment. That’s about it. You want to take home an assault rifle, pistol, any gun? Sorry, I’m done with that. It’s not just mass shootings. It’s gun suicides. It’s children having accidents with guns around the house. Guns are not safe. They shouldn’t be just laying around anywhere. There should be very specific situations where you are allowed to use them. That’s it. This is the endgame I’m hoping for. It may be a long road to achieve this. I hope there can at least be some common sense rules and laws enacted right now to move the needle towards gun control and safety.

First of all, there should be a ban on assault and automatic weapon sales to civilians. These assault rifles allowing rapid fire and quick killings were not meant for everyday use. They were meant for war. They should stay there. No person needs the ability to open fire in a public place and injure hundreds of innocent people within minutes. In terms of individual gun sales, if people insist on buying guns, I believe the government has a right to ask for the reason why. There should be mandatory background checks of all gun buyers, no exceptions. In addition, I believe that upon requesting to buy a gun, you should have to provide an explanation of how you intend to use the gun. For example, hunters might need a gun for hunting season since this is a part of their livelihood. I would like to have the seller shadow the hunter with their newly purchased gun to see that they are using the gun as they intended. For buyers wishing to use their guns for personal safety, I would require a mental health screening with a licensed professional as well as mandatory safety classes. A home visit would be part of the process as the buyer should have to explain where they will keep their gun and ammunition. The seller could provide tips such as requiring gun and ammo to be kept separately and in secured places so that children cannot get their hands on a loaded weapon by accident. In terms of concealed carry laws, I think they should be abolished. If you would like to carry your gun in public, I think you should be required to provide a reason why you intend to do so. If you are a hunter, this would be your hunting license that you must apply for. Gun violence is a huge problem in cities across the country, my city of Chicago included. I am sure if guns were taken off the streets or strictly regulated in their use, gun violence would decrease significantly. These measures would all result in a greater oversight of gun ownership and more safety with their use. That’s the direction we need to go. If we don’t, mass shootings will keep happening. Gun violence will continue in our cities. There will still be gun suicides. Children will continue to stumble on loaded guns and injure or kill themselves. Lives will continue to be lost and we will continue to mourn those lives.

Finally, I would just like to end with some words about the Second Amendment. The text in the Bill of Rights explicitly mentions that a well-regulated militia is necessary to the security of a free state. At the time of the framing of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, this statement was an indisputable fact. The United States was founded after the Revolutionary War, where American Patriots rebelled against the rule of the British monarchy. At the birth of the USA, it was very necessary for there to be a well-regulated militia where citizens could own guns and band together to fight. People just didn’t know when the British would come back and come back they did. Now, the story is very different. Saying that a well-regulated militia and gun ownership is necessary to the security of the United States is a complete falsehood. We have one of the largest armed forces in the world, we are involved in wars around the world, and our military infrastructure is one of the most advanced in the world. We don’t need a militia. We don’t need people ready to fight with their guns at a moment’s notice. So gun rights activists, spare us all this outdated argument and just tell us what you really think. You just want guns because you want guns. That’s it. In my mind, that’s not enough of a reason.