While Sunday October 1 provided a normal night for most, the concert-goers of the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas were plagued with yet another demonstration of gun violence in an epidemic that appears to be sweeping the nation. Gunshots sounded at around 10 P.M. and struck a large crowd listening to country singer Jason Aldean outside of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, resulting in the fatalities of 58 victims and over an additional 500 injuries.
The shooter, Stephen Paddock, died from a self-inflicted gunshot. When police found Paddock in his reserved room within the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, it was also discovered that the killer had 23 guns as well as a plethora of ammunition and explosive material in the suite as well as his vehicle. Even though Paddock had no criminal record and was seen to have no relation to any sort of act similar to this, the Las Vegas shooter is now at the top of the list for the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history.
Regardless of what officials and new sources seem to be calling the incident, Paddock is seen currently as the only suspect involved, acting alone in the shooting. In obvious outrage and sadness, the community of Las Vegas as well as other citizens around the nation and world gather to give support to a multitude of families left devastated by the event. As President Trump sent out his thoughts in prayers, claiming, “It is a ‘miracle’ how fast the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police were able to find the demented shooter and stop him from even more killing!”, others are looking for closure on the issue of a single person being able to own and carry large amounts of military-grade weapons as Paddock did.
Celebrities such as late-night television host, Jimmy Kimmel, brought the issue to attention during a recent episode as he expressed his sadness in the government and lenient gun laws in the United States. While this isn’t the first time Kimmel has had to bring forth the issue on live television, he was brought to tears once again when he stated, “all these devastated families who now have to live with this pain forever because one person with a violent and insane voice in his head managed to stockpile a collection of high-powered rifles and use them to shoot people.” Others who agree with Kimmel are looking to continue the battle for stricter gun regulations that limit the power of the NRA. Regardless of the rise of tensions stemming from beliefs in both gun rights and gun control, communities look to unify in an effort to make sure that incidents similar to the one in Las Vegas are minimized.
Sam Pim • Oct 29, 2017 at 5:53 pm
As terrible of an event this was, you really captured it well, and put into perspective how lucky we are to make it through every day.
Cole Dorman • Oct 28, 2017 at 4:32 pm
Great article. but it truly is awful to see such a horrible situation unfold. It really makes you step back and appreciate what you have. As a person who isn’t a big fan of the 2nd amendment, it certainly is troubling to see these events become normalized in today’s society. We’ve certainly come a long way… but in the wrong direction.