We all know what happened in Las Vegas last Sunday.
I believe that, deep down, we also all know what needs to be done about it to lessen the possibility of such a tragedy occurring again, and again, and again, as it always seems to do.
Acceptance of a problem is the first step to solving it, yet despite this fact, many in our country feel more attached to their firearms than to basic morals.
The gun culture in this country is pervasive, toxic and extremely deadly.
It allows people like Stephen Paddock to commit acts of domestic terrorism and mass murder, who cling to not one or two guns for reasonable purposes like for sustainable sport or recreation, or for the feeling of self-protection, but feel the insane need to own an arsenal of 43 weapons, including assault rifles.
Like after Orlando, Sandy Hook and so many of these events before, people are taking to social media and conversations in their daily life to offer their thoughts and prayers.
These are great, don’t get me wrong, but they are not enough.
There are integral pieces missing from these discussions. Inaction is taking the side of the oppressors in life, and prayer and thought have no effect when not combined with actual efforts.
Many politicians and celebrities, including everyone from Senator Elizabeth Warren to The Daily Show host Trevor Noah have stated that they will not be praying and thinking for the victims of Las Vegas.
Rather, they will be apologizing and acting.
Apologizing for the needless deaths of 59 individuals and the inaction of a government corrupted by organizations like the National Rifle Association that has allowed this to occur, by sitting idly by.
And acting, by pledging to support new initiatives in Congress and local grassroots efforts to curb gun violence.
Apologizing for a president that is quick to condemn “radical Islamic terrorism” across the globe from the comfort of his plush seat and Twitter account, thus spreading hysteria and Islamophobia, but will not label this massacre as what it is — domestic terrorism.
Apologizing for America’s lethal love affair with rifles, that manifests itself in having more guns per capita than any other nation. We make up about 4 percent of the world’s population and own 42 percent of all civilian firearms. There is something deeply disturbing, and fundamentally unnecessary, about these statistics.
Apologizing for the legal loopholes that permit individuals to obtain guns without universal background checks.
Apologizing for the injustice of police brutality that renders black bodies dispensable in the streets, as increasingly militarized police departments perpetuate racism day in and day out.
Apologizing for the ongoing segregation of America’s cities, where gentrification and white flight create vacuums that decimate communities of color and leave them underfunded, impoverished, and particularly prone to gun violence.
But as all true activists know, an apology is never enough. What people want, and what people need, are solutions.
The time is overdue to address these missing components of the national conversation, these systemic issues plaguing America.
Certain people will claim that it is all too raw, too fresh of a wound. But these are the moments in which change can be best harnessed, when emotions are running high and memories are still full of pain, lest we wait too long and slip into the country-wide complacency and ignorance that seems to recur after each incident.
These solutions are all within our grasp as a nation. We just need to be willing to reach to them, and to each other, not with the barrel of a gun, but with open arms.
What are your thoughts on gun violence in the United States? Are thoughts and prayers not enough in wake of tragedy? Please send any and all questions, comments or concerns to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
