Jacksonville shooting has e-gamers questioning U.S. gun laws, and rightfully so

Nancy Armour | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Police: Suspect targeted other gamers Investigators say a suspect in a deadly shooting at a Florida video game tournament specifically targeted other gamers. (Aug. 27)

The organizers of Morocco’s bid for the 2026 World Cup were anything but subtle.

“Morocco is one of the world’s safest countries, with low rates of day-to-day crimes,” organizers stated in the executive summary of their bid, specifically touting the country’s “exceptionally low murder rates, benefiting from very low gun circulation."

Safety wasn't a deciding factor when FIFA awarded the 2026 World Cup to North America, a bid led by the United States. Money and infrastructure were. But after yet another mass shooting, this time at a gaming tournament in Jacksonville, we cannot assume that will always be the case.

More: How the Jacksonville shooting unfolded: Terror inside a room, agony streamed online

More: Here are the victims of the Jacksonville shooting at Madden tournament

It seems crass to even think about the ramifications for global sporting events in the U.S. after Sunday's shooting at the Madden NFL 19 Classic qualifier. Two people trying to turn their love for a video game into some extra cash, maybe a little celebrity, are dead, and dozens more will be permanently scarred physically and emotionally.

But the gun violence that plagues America horrifies the rest of the world, as does our refusal to do anything about it. How much longer can we ask international sporting organizations, athletes and spectators to come to the U.S., promising they will be safe, when we can’t even assure our own citizens of that?

“Read about the incident at the Madden tournament in Jacksonville. Scared of going to USA, even though it used to be a place I always wanted to visit,” Cani, who is from Germany and a member of Electronic Sports' Game Changers community, said on Twitter after Sunday’s shooting. “People are getting shot in movie theaters, schools, gaming tournaments, concerts and many more places over and over again. So sad”

Read about the incident at the Madden tournament in Jacksonville. Scared of going to USA, even though it used to be a place I always wanted to visit. People are getting shot in movie theaters, schools, gaming tournaments, concerts and many more places over and over again. So sad — Cani (@CaniSports) August 26, 2018

Each year, the U.S. hosts dozens of professional and global sporting events without any security issues. We take our security measures seriously, with metal detectors at the entrance of venues, armed law-enforcement officials around the perimeter and no-fly zones.

But these events don’t occur in a security bubble. Athletes and, even more so, spectators, will spend most of their time in unsecured areas. Hotels, restaurants, trains, taxis. They will, organizers and civic leaders hope, venture out to see the local sights and tourist attractions.

In most cases, nothing will happen.

But when 58 people are killed and 851 are injured at a concert, as they were last fall in Las Vegas, we cannot promise our guests they will be safe. When 49 people are murdered at a night club, as they were two years ago in Orlando, we cannot assure our visitors that no harm will come to them. When 26 people are gunned down in a church, as they were last year in Texas, we cannot guarantee the security of those who comes here.

And when children are massacred at school, which happens with such frequency throughout the country that we’ve become almost numb to it, we cannot protect anyone.

“Again and as usual its in the USA, here in Europe u won’t see such a sick thing,” a gamer whose Twitter handle is Holy123spirit posted Sunday afternoon. “I wonder what the USA can do about it.”

Prayers For Jacksonville Madden tournament !

And again and as usual its in the USA , here in Europe u wont see such a sick thing

rarely stuff happens here with shootings in Schools or even a Gaming tournament

I wonder what the USA can do about it — Holy123spirit (@Holy123Spirit) August 26, 2018

Polls have repeatedly shown that the majority of Americans, gun owners included, favor sensible gun control. Things like mandatory waiting periods, universal background checks, bans on assault rifles and high-capacity magazines.

None of these would gut or even threaten the Second Amendment. Yet politicians continue to bow to the will of the NRA rather than that of their constituents. And they’ll do so until there’s a penalty on election day.

“Another day. Another mass shooting in America,” Filipe Orlando, a gamer from Britain, said on Twitter. “When will the USA change their gun laws.”

If basic decency doesn't compel an answer to that question, maybe economics will.

In addition to the 2026 World Cup, the U.S. will host the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028. U.S. companies and wealthy Americans also are investing heavily in esports, which are wildly popular among young people across the globe.

They're also still in their infancy, meaning they have the potential to reshape the global sporting market over the next decade or two. If you're not convinced, check out what a 12-year-old is watching on YouTube these days.

If any of these groups decide the U.S. is too dangerous and takes their games elsewhere, it won't simply be an embarrassment. There will be financial repercussions.

Thoughts and prayers won't be enough then, either.

Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on Twitter @nrarmour.