He was just a guy
Another day, another shooting. Sadly, we are used to this. San Bernadino. Sandy Hook. Orlando. Boston. Today, Las Vegas. This one is the biggest of them all, so far. By this time next week, it'll be just another episode and we'll move on and await the next one.
What always happens is we try to find out why the person did this. The press finds a relative and tries to figure out a motive. Was there a sign this was going to occur?
Today we heard from the brother of the Vegas shooter, Stephen Paddock. He never saw this coming. Typical of what we usually hear is a response like we heard today: "He was just a guy."
So many questions: How does just a guy get ten automatic weapons? How does just a guy get enough ammunition to kill 58 and injure 500 more? How does just a guy get all of this into a hotel without being caught?
Two more important questions: How can we prevent just a guy from getting automatic weapons and ammunition? How can we prevent just a guy from doing this again?
Yes, it's time to focus on those that were killed and wounded. Yes, they're in our thoughts, prayers and in our hearts. But that doesn't mean we can't also look into ways to prevent this from occurring again. It's a conversation that should happen now. It's a conversation that needs to happen now. It's a conversation that needed to happen years ago. It can't wait any longer, although my guess is it will.
I'm sure I'll be writing something like this again. I'm sure it'll be sooner rather than later. I'm sure unless we do something, there will again be another just a guy.
Related Post: Enough
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