People are mourning, speculating this morning, as late night news broke over a mass shooting at a Country music concert last night in Las Vegas, Nevada. The current count is 58 dead, 515 injured. This latest terrorist attack adds to the heartbreak our nation faces as more and more people die every day.
The facts are that the shooter was a sixty-four year old, Caucasian male. Although ISIS has made claims that this shooting was attributed to them, there has not been any indication that is the truth. The gunman shot at the concert-goers with an automatic rifle from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort. He was found dead in his hotel room with 10 other guns. The brother of the shooter said that he wasn’t aware of any mental illness.
So now we come to the questioning of what can we do. Has our nation become numb to this kind of event anymore? Wringing our hands and offering our prayers and condolences. Prayer seems to work only as much as giving us something to do when we don’t know what else to do, but it hasn’t stopped the other 272 mass shootings in 2017.
Jeff Sessions, U.S. Attorney General, said in a statement, “The investigation into the horrific shooting last night in Las Vegas is ongoing.” He added,“To the many families whose lives have been changed forever by this heinous act, we offer you our prayers and our promise that we will do everything in our power to get justice for your loved ones.”
I can’t begin to fathom what kind of justice their families are going to get. The man who committed the act has killed himself. Will Congress step up and put limits on guns? I can’t imagine that is likely. Note, I do not believe all guns should be banned. I believe we need to see limits. I allow my kids to shoot rifles and shot guns at Scout camp. Guns are not inherently evil, but I believe that our culture has lifted them as idols, and I would hope to see something done. Other countries have seen their gun violence go down as a result of their gun bans. For sure, there are always people who say that criminals will find a way. Maybe so, but perhaps we can decrease the rates. No one needs a gun that can mow down 50 plus people in 10 minutes or less.
How can we resolve this problem we face in America? Leave your comments below.
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