We Have Work To Do, America

It is very difficult to write about the Orlando shooting. It is such a monumentally sad, tragic moment in American history that it almost defies comprehension. Fifty people dead, more than 50 seriously wounded. A savage attack, a specific target, and yet an attack on all Americans.

Prayers for those who died, who were wounded and their family and friends have been forthcoming and will continue. For those who suffered most acutely, the losses are inconsolable. We cry for you and we share our love for you and know the universal bond of our sorrow.

There is much we do not know about the motives of the shooter. We know at this point he pledged himself to Islamic terrorists, and we are told he harbored some anger at the LGBT community. Beyond that, speculation roams.

What we do know is that he obtained his weapons legally. We know that they included an assault rifle (an AR-15) which figured prominently in the slaughter of innocents at the Orlando club. And we know the same weapon was used by cowardly murderers in many other shooting incidents in recent years (Aurora, Colorado, and Newtown, Connecticut, for instance). And we know this gun can be purchased legally in much of the United States.

No, I’m not going to launch another plea for gun sanity in this country. At least not now, for now is the time to mourn the losses of our brothers and sisters. To celebrate and honor the lives of those who died and were wounded. To acknowledge their humanity. To accord them the dignity and respect and love they so deserve. To hold them close in our hearts.

We will soon need, however, to try and understand more of what is behind the shootings, and then turn our attention to what we can do to stop the increasingly pervasive, horrific series of violent incidents that seem almost to define our lives in the 21st century.

There has to be a better way than this. A true memorial to these victims and to the tens of thousands of victims of gun attacks in America would be action that ensures that tens of thousands of others would not share that fate.

We have a lot of work ahead.