| It's been a few weeks since the massacre occurred in Orlando that killed 49 people, and the United States is once again stubbornly pushing through to decry that “guns don't kill people, people kill people”. Our politicians continue to send their prayers and put in no effort to try to solve the problem. We seem to think that if we turn a blind eye the problem will correct itself. It hasn't worked yet. It's certainly not lost on me that the deadliest mass shooting in United States history was a culmination of homophobia and prejudice against the Latino community. |  |
And, maybe that's why our politicians really don't care. The people hurt so often in mass shootings are already marginalized by society. The gunman is just upholding our preexisting sexist, islamaphobic, racist, homophobic, and transphobic view points.
 | The Planned Parenthood shooting that took place last November left 3 dead and 9 injured. 3 Muslims were killed in Chapel Hill, North Carolina early last year. The Charleston Church shooting left 9 black church members dead. And, these were just the shootings I recalled from a single year. There were 372 mass shootings last year, leaving 475 dead. The Pulse nightclub shooting shook the LGBT community in the United States. We've been bullied and singled out our entire lives, but we have never had our safe places violated in such a way. The last time something of this magnitude occurred was in 1973 when 32 people were killed in an arson fire in New Orleans at a gay bar known as the Upstairs Lounge. |
| Gun violence is an epidemic in the United States that doesn't seem to be going away. President Obama has given 18 speeches during his presidency addressing these national tragedies and still we haven't fixed anything. That same weekend, social media was still reeling from the death of popstar Christina Grimmie, when we found out about the Orlando shooting. By December 23rd in 2015, 12,942 people had been killed in the United States as a result of gun violence. On an average day in America, 36 people are killed by guns. The U.S is in desperate need in of gun reform. Whatever that is. Just as long as we do something. We need to try to fix this crisis. As Dan Hodges noted last year around the time of the Charleston Church shooting, “in retrospect Sandy Hook marked the end of the US gun control debate. Once America decided killing children was bearable it was over.” 20 children were killed that day. 27 including the adults. |    |
In the United States we directly link guns to masculinity and our masculinity to violence. We have more guns per capita then any other country in the world. In the United States we have more guns then citizens. And our guns have more rights then our marginalized groups.
13 days after the massacre at Orlando, republican Andy Holt made the decision to give away an AR-15 at a fundraiser. The weapon involved in the United States most deadly mass shooting. According to columnist Helen Ubiñas it took her 7 minutes to purchase this same semi-automatic rifle. God bless the United States.
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