Gay Club Shooting

I understand there are people who do not like other people. To some being gay is foreign, odd and yes abhorrent. Same for people who dislike immigrants, foreigners in their land, people of color and pretty much anyone who is different from themselves.

But do they shoot those they dislike?

What about people who think differently from others? What about people who like things that you don’t?

What is it about being different that upsets people so much? We are the land of individuals, freedom to be yourself, to espouse your own thoughts, beliefs, religions and orthodoxy. If that is the core of who we are as a nation, then why do people kill each other? More than that, why do we allow access to so many tools of death?

I know, freedom is freedom. But what limits do intelligent people place on themselves to ensure safety and life itself?

Saturday’s shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs is an example. Twenty-five people were shot, five killed outright. The hater was the shooter and was injured in the fracas. He was detained for police and is believed to be the sole guilty party. OK. We know who did it. We have his weapons. We have the site and most likely the motive: hate. All tied up in a neat little package.

What isn’t so neat is gay people wishing to go out on a Saturday night to a club for entertainment and relaxing into the people they are. Oh, they can still go out, but it isn’t without risks of death. From those who don’t like their kind.

This event, like so many others in our history, is a line in the sand for me. Our nation does little to stop killing those different from ourselves. Guns are everywhere. Guns are protected. Guns are the weapon of the moment in most killings and acts of violence. Why? Why do we allow this to continue?

The Second Amendment to the US Constitution guarantees our right to own a gun. It does not guarantee our right to take the life of others. I realize the two are related but not co-controlled. Maybe they should?

Don’t like abortion? It’s OK to kill or punish the woman who has one?  Really? Don’t like gay people? It’s OK to arm people that go into gay clubs and kill the patrons?

What kind of nation are we that allows such to happen? Why do we enable killers to kill?

Why do we allow people who don’t like people who are different to live out their prejudices?

When do we put our foot down and stop the carnage?

Until we do, whose guilt controls the situation?

November 23, 2022

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