Image via Fibonaaci Blue, Flickr CC
We are saddened and outraged by the horrific attack on innocent club-goers in Orlando. Our deepest sympathies go to the victims’ families and friends and the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals who were targets of the attack and those who feel threatened by it.
While we don’t know the full story of what happened in the early hours of Sunday morning and why it happened, we do know a few things to be true. First, it is simply too easy in America to buy a military-style gun to use in a rampage. While the gunman may have been a “lone wolf” whose activities didn’t rise to the level of a threat before this past weekend, he should not have had an assault-style rifle in his hands. As The Washington Post reported, this type of rifle is typically used by mass murderers because it can fire a lot of ammunition quickly and accurately. The AR-15 was used in Orlando’s rampage, as well as mass shootings in Newtown, Conn.; San Bernardino, Calif.; Umpqua Community College in Oregon; and Aurora, Colo, according to the New York Daily News. Assault rifles weren’t always as readily available as they are now. They were outlawed from 1994-2004, when the ban expired and Congress couldn’t find the decency or integrity to oppose the National Rifle Association (NRA) and reinstate it. An attempt to renew the ban in 2013, following the massacre of Sandy Hook school children in Newtown, failed in the face of NRA opposition and scared politicians. No wonder why mass shootings have become heartbreakingly common since the ban expired.
We also know that the Orlando killer targeted Pulse, a popular gay club, and the shooting is a sad reminder that although LGBT individuals have made great strides in claiming and affirming the right to live their lives freely, not everyone is enlightened and welcoming. We as a society need to do a better job of protecting the rights of vulnerable members of minority communities and also oppose the hateful speech and actions of those who promote fear, division and intolerance. Promoting tolerance isn’t being “politically correct,” as the right wing would argue. It’s simply being human and seeing the humanity in another individual and it’s something we need more of in Orlando, Milwaukee and our increasingly violent society.
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The LGBT organization Equality Florida has set up a fund to help the victims of the Orlando shooting. To contribute, go to gofundme.com/PulseVictimsFund.
