On Oct. 2, 2017, a Las Vegas gunman opened fire within a hotel/casino during a country music festival. His assault on the hotel killed 58 individuals and injured many more. This terrifying attack by a disturbed lone wolf further highlights the need for our government to establish proper gun rights reform. The incident of the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting is another tragic example as to why the United States needs to ban guns. There will be opposition from Republicans, but the Democratic legislators need to pull together to prohibit an attack like the one on Oct. 2 from occurring again.
According to The Washington Post, the mass shooting at the Las Vegas country music festival is the deadliest mass shooting in American history. With 58 innocent men and women killed and hundreds more injured, the statistics speak for themselves. Stephen Paddock was the gunman who had easy access to an assault-type weapon through our country’s broken gun law system. Any individual can now acquire a license to carry a firearm without question. Gun retailers rarely require a background check, as it is not mandatory within gun retailers’ regulations. This allows any individual who provides a gun license to the store to purchase a weapon.
The Washington Post continued to report that Paddock had 10 rifles in his hotel room overlooking the area where he opened fire upon a crowd. There wasn’t a single question raised when Paddock purchased the rifles, nor were there questions about Paddock’s background. This reinforces the point that many mass murderers are successful at hiding their motives and disease from the outside world. The Washington Post also mentions that Paddock, 64, lived a very normal life within a Florida living community.
As Americans, we need to realize that mass murderers blend in with everyday people. They put on a façade of normality until making a dangerous move. The bottom line to this tragic incident is that the United States must refuse guns to any individual outside of law enforcement and military. The banning of firearms would reduce the number of outlets that mass murderers have to purchase firearms and, therefore, would reduce the number of incidents like the Orlando nightclub shooting and this recent mass shooting in Las Vegas.
It is appalling to think that our very own government has witnessed so many mass shootings over the past decade and continued to ignore the troubling issue of gun rights. Republicans and Democrats need to band together for once and fight for the American people. Officials need to draft legislations that put an end to public weapon purchasing to aid in the safety of Americans. While it would be possible for individuals to gain access to weapons, it would be through illegal means, and that could result in law enforcement officials catching mass shooters before they act. The United States needs to stand up to the bullies within America who fight against the banning of firearms, and do so for the people that it needs to protect. The road will not be easy, because the attempts at firearm policy reform haven’t been successful, but if the American people realize that guns are being purchased publicly to commit heinous acts, we can make strides in securing safety for us all.
Sabin is a freshman English major . He is a staff writer for The Voice
