Mass Shootings

Welcome back! For today, I want to talk about mass shootings. Lately there has been an unfortunate amount of mass shootings. In fact, according to the Gun Violence Archive list, there have been a total of 307 mass shootings just in 2017. While I can go on and on with all the shootings that have occurred, today I just want to discuss about a couple that personally stuck with me.
So, to start off, on November 5, 2017, there was a mass shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas at a church by a 26 year old man by the name of Patrick Kelley. There were 26 people pronounced dead and about 20 wounded, from the age of 5 to 76. This shooting was even called the deadliest mass shooting in the state’s history by the governor. This horrific event stuck with me because when I think of a church, I think of a place where many people can feel safe, protected, or even feel at home. With this tragedy, I can only imagine what the residents of Sutherland Springs will feel like going anywhere in the small town. With only a population of 400, not only does the loss of many loved ones affect their family, it also affects many others in the town given that it is such a tight-knit town.
In addition to this, on October 1, 2017, the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history occurred in Las Vegas, Nevada. Here, a 64 year old gunman by the name of Stephen Paddock opened fire on a crowd who attended the Route 91 Harvest music festival. Paddock left 58 people dead and 546 injured. There was no motive found and he was found dead by shooting himself in his suite in Mandalay Bay hotel. The reason this stuck with me was because not only was it the deadliest modern mass shooting in the US, but it hit close to home. I had aunts and cousins who attended this concert and were fortunate enough to make it out okay. Like the church, it’s unfortunate to see that people don’t even feel safe doing something fun and to let lose like a concert.
With that, I want to end this blog with informing you all that whether you’re going to the movies, attending church, or even just going to the grocery store, be sure to keep an eye out for unusual events and be careful at any given time. Know that there are heartless people out there who do the cruelest of things for reasons many of us may not be aware of. Stay safe!