Deadliest Mass Shooting in U.S. History on Vegas Strip
Late Sunday evening, 64-year-old Mesquite, Nevada resident, Stephen Paddock opened fire from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas. Paddock is responsible for the death of at least 50 people and wounding 500 more.
After reigning terror on concert goers for ten to fifteen minutes, according to Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Sheriff Joseph Lombardo, Paddock was found dead from self inflicted wounds, in his hotel room. In Paddock's 32nd floor hotel room was an arsenal of 23 firearms including hand guns, rifles, and thousands of rounds of ammunition.
Countless families traveled to Las Vegas this past weekend to attend the Route 91 Harvest 3-Day Country Music Festival. The openness of the outdoor venue made the concert goers open targets for this domestic terrorist. The chaos unfolded as Jason Aldean was on stage performing. Initially it was unclear what the gunfire was.
Many, including some performers, believed the popping sound was attributed to pyrotechnics. Aldean continued to perform for a few seconds after the shooting commenced before running off stage when the danger was apparent.
Raw videos taken by people on the strip should horrify every U.S. citizen. We have a right to celebrate and gather without fear of dying by gunfire. Sadly, even this most recent tragedy will not result in meaningful gun safety legislation. The murder of dozens of elementary school children in Newtown, dozens of club attendees in Orlando, dozens of movie goers in Aurora, and now dozens of country music listeners in Vegas, will still not be sufficient to convince lawmakers to do something about the epidemic of gun violence in the U.S.
Agenda driven politicians who are bought and paid for by powerful gun lobbyist like the NRA and gun manufacturers will never allow a legitimate Congressional debate on the issue. As a result, citizens of the United States must grow accustomed to living in a nation with apathetic lawmakers who condone annual record breaking mass shootings.
Thus, due to cowardly members of Congress and state legislatures, Americans will awaken to an all too familiar headline: Deadliest Mass Shooting... for now.
