This past weekend tragedy has struck again in the U.S., with two mass shootings occurring in a little more than 13 hours apart. This comes after the week’s previous shooting with a man killing 3, and injuring more at a garlic festival. In El Paso, a city that prides itself on being one of the safest cities in America, a gunman opened fire in a Walmart. He killed twenty people, and injured 26 more, before being detained by law enforcement. This city rests on the borders of New Mexico, Texas, and Mexico. The town also has a high Hispanic population. The shooter posted a manifesto detailing racist rhetoric against Hispanics, saying that they were “invading the country.” According to breaking reports yesterday, the shooter confessed to intentionally targeted Mexicans.

In Dayton, Ohio, a gunman opened fire on a bar, killing nine and injuring 27 before police were able to kill the suspect. The suspect had a known history of violence and threats, being suspended from his high school for making a rape and kill list in the bathroom of his high school. One woman, Hannah Shows, was on the shooter’s rape list and stated, “It’s baffling and horrible that somebody who’s been talking for 10 years about wanting to shoot people could easily, so easily, get access to a military-grade weapon and that much ammo.” She was one of many former classmates who spoke out about the shooter and the fact that this incident could have been prevented much sooner.

These shootings have made people more on edge, especially with some students already back in school, and many more going back in the following weeks.



The cycle of a mass shooting.

There seems to be a systematic approach to mass shootings. Ever since Sandy Hook, the media and public seem to follow in these steps almost regularly. This cycle does nothing to help those hurt and lost in these shootings that keep happening over and over again with more lives lost. This flow chart shared on the Facebook page “resonant muse” captures the cycle very well.

The shooting

At this point, the shooting has just occurred and many are in shock. Those who live nearby or have relatives and friends nearby will be calling to check up on each other. Much information isn’t known about the shooting and as the situation unfolds, all media is focused on this shooting and what will be to follow. There will be interviews of those nearby and survivors, and many will watch anxiously as the death and injury count rises. Names of the victims will be released and local government officials and police will be on the scene with more information.



The thoughts and prayers rhetoric

Around the country people will be lending their support, cards and messages will be sent to those affected and involved. There will be talk of children whose lives were taken too early, and the hero who prevented so much more harm from occurring. On social media, this hero will be shared, tweeted, reposted, and liked hundreds of thousands of times as people take the chance to recount and share the story of one of the victims.

Social media will be flooded with hashtags, proclaiming a community that has come together through heartbreak and anguish, to heal and help each other back on to their feet. In the El Paso shooting, a young boy started a challenge in the community a couple of days after the event. Eleven-year-old, Ruben Martinez, calls it the El Paso Challenge. This involves him challenging those on social media and in the community to do a good act of kindness for each victim lost in the shooting. His mother shared his idea in a post on Facebook which has since gone viral. In his letter, he wrote, “This will show the world that people from El Paso are kind and care for each other”.



The social media debates

Social media will burst into a frenzy. After the death and victim, the toll has been counted and everyone has somewhat settled in the aftermath of the tragedy, social media debates start to take over. There are many different aspects to the arguments that take place and form on platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. When the Parkland shooting occurred, many of the survivors went on to become gun control activists in their communities. They have taken on politicians and people alike on Social media and in real life.



Everyone forgets

The people who were affected don’t forget. The communities in which these tragedies occur, won’t forget. The people every day who are affected by gun violence and mass shootings won’t forget. But the media forgets as time goes on, and new stories come to light. The media focuses on what gets them the most views and likes, and after a while, a healing community isn’t that. There is this weird fascination with events like this. People tend to focus on it, as the story unfolds, and when every last detail is wrung out, they forget.



Congress does nothing

In Congress, time and time again we have debated gun safety and gun control, but the outcomes remain the same. The majority of GOP politicians do not support gun control and one common donor to all these parties is the NRA. On the other hand, Democrats are fighting for gun control with old policies and oppose the Republicans. This clashing results in gridlock in which everyone fights about gun control until the issue dies down in the public eye and nothing gets solved. Which happens time and time again until the next mass shooting. With Parkland, however, we did see some change, as these high school students became gun control activists. They even had a town hall with Marco Rubio as they continued to ask, whether they’d be the last.



When it comes to mass shootings, there is a massive cycle that loops on repeat. The thoughts and prayers, the social media debate, and the no-action being attained are constant and predictable. Congress needs to come together in a bipartisan stand and pass common-sense gun reform laws. It’s time to stop the gun-debate paralysis and move onto meaningful policy action.



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