On February 14, 2018 Nikolas Cruz walked into Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School with an AR-15 and opened fire killing 17 people and wounding 14 others.
The Facebook think pieces have started up in full force. Twitter rants and arguments are out in abundance. Legislators that weren’t worried about gun reform are now pushing for stricter gun laws (for the time being). People are fighting for their gun rights because this tragedy shouldn’t affect their right to own a gun. Cruz’s mental health is being examined with the added irony that mental health services is terribly underfunded in most parts of the country.
Have we been here before?
Just this past October (2017), Stephen Paddock opened fire in Las Vegas with concert goers being his target. 58 people were killed. 851 people were injured (one of which I know personally. Thanks be to God he’s doing much better).
Facebook think pieces filled my timeline. Twitter rants and arguments were a dime a dozen. Legislators that weren’t worried about gun reform pushed for stricter gun laws (for that time period). People fought for their gun rights because this tragedy shouldn’t affect their right to own a gun. Mental health of the shooter was examined under the irony that mental health services is terribly underfunded in most states.
And then, silence.
On to bigger and better news stories. Cameras leave. Interviews cease. Social media moves on to the next big viral video. Not a peep is heard about the latest mass shooting unless you’re personally affected. Until the next one occurs, and the cycle continues.
You get the gist, right? We are back in the same spot.
There are so many questions that need answers for which we don’t have solutions. Facebook think pieces pose simple solutions. However, it takes an understanding of a complex problem to really offer anything of substance. Is it guns or people? Or….. dare I say it could be both?
Then there’s the “prayers don’t work” group. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Jesus is real and He hears everything you say even though you don’t believe in Him. You need to have faith that He’ll work things out. This brings me to my next point.
Faith without works is dead. So what are we doing to prevent the next tragedy? It certainly doesn’t look like much. Real change occurs when action takes place. All I’m doing is reading meaningless social media opinions as we continue our daily lives unaffected.
There’s much to unpack in these senseless shootings. One thing is for sure, we never learn our lesson, and we’re back to square one. It’s coming to a point where you look at the TV or social media screen and say, “Another one?”
To say it’s sad is an understatement. We need to change.
Sources:
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/police-respond-shooting-parkland-florida-high-school-n848101
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/las-vegas-autopsies_us_5a8233cde4b01467fcf08af6
A Fresh Voice 