The Las Vegas shooting that occurred Sunday night was without a doubt an act of terror when a man fired into a crowd during a music festival killing at least 59 people and injuring hundreds more. This tragedy is currently being labeled the as the deadliest shooting in U.S. history topping the nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida that happened last year. My heart goes out to all the affected families who’ve lost loved ones or had to witness such a horrific event. I couldn’t imagine what they’re going through at this moment. There is currently no known motive for the shooter actions.

What scares me is the frequency of such shootings. I don’t want to reduce this event as ‘just another mass shooting’, this tragedy is very heartbreaking, but nowadays, are families even able to grieve the loss of their loved ones without having to worry about the impending doom of another public shooting? It can sometimes be desensitizing seeing these catastrophic events unfold over the news just for another shooting to occur months later. Is there a way to stop these mass shootings? Is this a matter of gun control? Is this a matter of mental health issues? Is this a matter of poor upbringing and exposure to violence? I’ve recently written an essay on the gun control debacle and based on the statistics personally, I believe that stricter gun legislation is necessary, however perhaps it needs to be handled from another angle. Politicians can hold off on the debate of these policies in respect of those we’ve lost and that’s understandable, but once the dust settles what will America do about these issues?

On a positive note, I would like to focus on the heroes of this crisis. The great thing about this country is how we bound together in devastating events such as this. People were able to help each other out in the midst of the chaos providing aid and transportation to those who’ve been injured. After hearing about the tragedy, people are now actively donating blood to the victims of the shooting. Additionally, there are already several funding campaigns set up to aid the families of the victims. It’s hard not to get emotional when you realize how willing people are to help under a such a looming threat. These actions give me hope that we still value the sanctity of human life. I guess now it’s just a matter of that sanctity of life versus the profitability of gun sales.