*TRIGGER WARNING: MENTION OF VIOLENCE, GUNS, DEATH*
I woke up on Monday morning completely oblivious to the tragedy that had struck the country the night before. My friends were the ones who broke the news to me with heavy hearts. On the evening of October 1st, a man on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas had opened fire on a crowd that had been enjoying a music festival down below. 59 people had died and 527 people had been injured in what can only be described as a rampage. I put my hand up to my mouth in shock.
As the day went on and it all sunk in, I only got more upset. I stared blankly at the professor lecturing in front of me. I couldn’t get any notes down on paper. Tears welled up in my eyes as I started thinking about too many things at once: the night’s victims and survivors, incidents of mass violence endured year after year by people who should never have to experience such horrors, and pure, unadulterated grief. No, I had not lost anyone I knew in the tragedy — and my heart goes out to those who did — but I had lost my patience. I was tired of reliving a nightmare that was very, very real.
And I was tired of feeling like I couldn’t do anything about it. I’m not a first responder or a licensed mental health professional. Because of health and financial reasons, I’m not able to donate blood or money. I am only twenty-one years old and most of my peers and I don’t hold any sort of public office. What can we do?
As it turns out, there is important and necessary work that we can take on so that what happened in Vegas won’t happen again — and it requires a combination of productive research, advocacy, support and love.
Research
The flood of news that flows out of a tragedy like this can be utterly overwhelming, and consumption of this information is not always comforting or even useful. Rather than learn about the gunman’s hotel room or even his motives, I would much rather educate myself on the history of violence and gun control in this country — both of which are deeply complicated issues with a lot of myth and misinformation surrounding them.
For example, though the Las Vegas incident may be the biggest mass shooting in this country, the United States has a history of serious violence against marginalized peoples, and indeed a lot of gun violence has occurred in (and continues to take place in) marginalized communities. Certain gun control policies may even hurt people of color. The majority of deaths from gun violence in the United States are caused by firearm suicide, and smaller-scale incidents of gun violence — that never make the headlines — claim lives every day at an alarming frequency.
Why is knowing this important? I believe that it empowers me to further research people — especially elected officials — that have long been aware of these facts and are dedicated to making our communities safer with carefully researched and nuanced policies. And when we vote in the midterm elections on November 6, 2018, we can vote for those people and change the balance of power in Congress.
Source: Giphy
Advocacy
Other developed nations, like the United Kingdom and Australia, have found ways to reduce gun violence in their respective countries, but it took a lot of collective effort. The past few days have shown us that many gun owners and even the NRA are open to changing our current (and fairly lax) legislation on guns. But without momentum, these glimmers of hope may become fruitless. It is up to us to band together and advocate for the kind of change we’d like to see. We, as young people, have voices that people need to hear.
Support
Now more than ever, we must demonstrate our support for mental health professionals, advocates and initiatives that are doing invaluable work in our schools and communities. Those affected by violent tragedies, directly or indirectly, will need mental health care and and the ability to thrive in a society without stigma against the mentally ill.
Love
In addition to vocally supporting issues, people and organizations we believe in, one of the most immediate things we can do is to love. And love is best conveyed through commitment — a commitment to action.
Yes, some will bristle at the mention of “gun control.” “I think it’s premature to be discussing legislative solutions, if there are any,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters. He added that it was “particularly inappropriate” to politicize the tragedy. The White House press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, said “there is a time and a place for political debate, but now is a time to unite as a country.“
The thing is, thoughts and prayers — like these ones from politicians that receive significant funding from the NRA — can only do so much. After decades of mass shootings like this one, “thoughts” are perhaps the equivalent of a half-hearted “sorry” from a friend that has repeatedly demonstrated that they just cannot be depended on. It is an empty gesture.
And as we know, the very best apology is changed behavior. As the families of those who passed and were injured in Las Vegas grieve, we must make it our responsibility to step up in the meantime, so that they may find love and light again in a community that is now much safer than it once was. We must show them — and ourselves — that we will be better.
Cover image courtesy of Pexels