By Chaitra Somasundar, Staff Writer
Killing is brutal and inhuman. That is not the person I am. My gun is for hunting and self-defense purposes only, I thought, when I bought my first gun.
I looked at them as they spoke about propagating their religion. Why did they think their religion was the way to live? Why did they try so hard to get people to believe in their God and their ways? What is so special about their God, if He even exists? They’re either frogs in a well or they want to make the world their well.
It made me seethe with anger. Let’s see how their superior religion saves them when they’re in trouble, I thought slickly. I surely want to see the pride and color drain off their faces as I drain their lives.
I tracked them down and shot them. Tears flowed down my eyes as I looked at the result of my impulse. But, wait.
I would never kill people that aren’t oh-so-religious.
They started it. They threw abuses and made rude gestures. My blood was boiling with rage. Who do they think they are? They think they’re powerful as they stand in a group making noises, mocking me. I’m not going to tolerate this.
I shook with rage as I pulled out the one thing that made all the difference between life and death. I snatched the life out of their shocked eyes in seconds as I shot them down. My inner ugliness coursed through my body as I watched the corpses. What have I done? All of this is my fault, I thought. But, wait.
I would never kill people that don’t start a fight with me.
I would never kill somebody. That’s the thought most people have when they buy arms and ammunition. The Oregon shooting incident was due to hatred towards religion. The NAU shooting incident seemed to be due to a fight. These incidents clearly indicate how strong emotions and incidents change us.
We are underestimating what losing control over emotions can do to us. It is human to feel enraged. It is human to rage at the world, at times. Are we strong enough to control it? Yes, a few are. A few are responsible. A few genuinely need a gun for protection. But, a few aren’t. For those who aren’t, equipping them with all the means to take lives would put several innocents and themselves in danger.
So, what is the solution for these mass killings? Do all of us use guns to hold the rights over everyone’s life and death? Is that the answer for safety? Or does safety begin with us? By ensuring these devices are with responsible users only? With our choice to make the procurement and use of arms more regulated?
Appeal for gun control and vote for leaders who stand by it. Like President Barack Obama said, “we’re going to have to come together and take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of the politics.”