Photo courtesy of Jeannette (Flickr)
There have been many tragedies in the news as of late, such as the Las Vegas massacre, the terror attack in New York City and most recently, the church shooting in Texas. All have been awful and have resulted in the lives of innocent people being taken away. After every tragedy, what has been done? It has been moments of silence after moments of silence.
Some say it is rude to talk about gun control after what happened in Las Vegas and Texas because it is too soon, but how long is long enough? Barely a month after the shooting in Las Vegas another shooting occurred in Texas. Why should we wait to talk about these important issues? Only more will continue to occur if nothing is done.
After 9/11, changes were made and are still being made to airport security. We can no longer travel how we used to or go through Transportation Security Administration (TSA) quickly because of the new security measures. This has happened all because a group of people threatened our security years ago.
Why are issues like gun violence not being handled in the same manner? There is only so much praying that can help and clearly the way we have been handling everything is not working. Speaking out after every incident is not rude or wrong; it is the correct way to deal with it all. If we are outraged, upset and completely over how everything has been handled then choosing to not stay silent is the answer.
There are even members of the House of Representatives that say they no longer participate in moments of silence led in the capital because it is hypocritical, and I agree with them.
Massachusetts Rep. Seth Moulton decided to not participate in a moment of silence after the Las Vegas shooting and even tweeted about it, calling the moment of silence “an excuse for inaction.”
Members of Congress and the Senate have more power than everyone in this country. If they are indeed so heartbroken by what has been happening, then they should do something because they have the power. We should not wait long after a tragedy occurs to act. Our leaders should have to answer to those who have lost loved ones.
Why have they not done anything? Why were tragedies like what occurred in Newtown, Connecticut not enough? They should want to work quickly to prevent tragedies like what happened in Las Vegas and Texas from happening again. We have to hold our leaders accountable and remind them that a moment of silence is just that – a moment – and right after it, they need to get to work.
