An incident no one ever imagined – except for the evil that created it –  has taken the lives of over 50 people and injured over 53 and is being regarded, as the worst mass shooting on American soil. Early Sunday morning on June 12, 2016, around 2am, a gunman identified as, Omar Mateen, opened fire inside of the Orlando, FL gay club Pulse. Mateen deployed the semi-automatic weapon filled with bullets known to pierce standard body armor. Police were eventually able to fatally stop the shooter after a nearly two-hour hostage situation.

People around the world, are empathizing with the victims and their families by uniting and showing support. Candlelight vigils have occurred across America in Los Angeles, Denver, Atlanta, Detroit, Boston and even Paris, France. Supporters have provided solace to Orlando, with hashtags like #WEAREORLANDO, others have expressed encouragement by displaying the Rainbow flag in their Facebook profile pics. Even the most popular names in Music (and Entertainment) have participated, as well as, posting support on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. To help the victims and their families, a GofundMe crowdfunding campaign was created and has raised $2.9 million dollars so far.

This massive shooting has raised many questions, especially with the impending election coming up this year, involving gun control, immigration, and religion (specifically the Muslim religion). This is a difficult time – and as a country, it should also be a time for healing and understanding.  It will be interesting to see how things develop as more information is dispersed to the public about Omar Mateen, and I suspect, we will see major policy changes in the future. In the meantime lets stay prayerful for the victims and their grieving families.

 

June 14, 2016
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