By Sunday Oyinloye
First, my sincere condolence to the families of those who lost their loved ones in Sunday’s church attack in South Texas community where a mass shooting led to the death of 26 people with about 20 wounded. The attacker, Devin Patrick Kelly.
America is the strongest nation in the world, a country everyone wants to live or visit, a nation that determines the fate of others and a country no nation dares toy with. Some even call it the police of the world. The seat of American President is no doubt the most respected in the world.
However, the strongest country in the world appears to be the most dangerous nation when it comes to school shootings. America holds the record of school shootings even with all its technology, security and military might. Several years ago, Malcolm Gladwell wrote an article in The New Yorker about the dangerous dimension of school shootings in America, today no one needs to be told how bad the situation has become.
Statistics of school shootings in America is very scary. 13 school shootings were recorded in the first six weeks of 2014. Between January and October 2015, not less than 52 school shootings were recorded . The sad incidence of Community college Oregon shooting where 26 year-old gunman, Chris Harper Mercer killed 10 and wounded seven is still fresh in my memory. That incident in 2015 made former President Barack Obama to say “shootings have become routine in America’’. Obama was right in saying that as the world can now see that killings have become grim familiarity for US
People kill violently in America through shootings almost on daily basis and such people are called gunmen instead of their real names, terrorists. How on earth will someone shoot and kill two three people for no reason and such a person is still called gunman instead of a terrorist?
When 64 year-old Stephen Paddock launched a barrage of gunfire on a crowd of concert goers during the Route 91 Harvest Music festival in Las Vegas killing 59 people and injuring hundreds others, he was called a gunman instead of a terrorist. About five weeks after the unfortunate incident, another terrorist, Davin Patrick Kelly who America called gunman killed 26 worshippers in a church in Sutherlands Springs. The youngest of his victim was a five year- old girl.
It would be recalled on June12,2016,Omar Mateen, a 29- year- old security guard, killed 49 and wounded 58 others in a terrorist attack inside Pulse, a gay night club in Orlando. That unfortunate incidence was the deadliest incident against LGBT people in US history.
The latest mass shooting in America which has reignite national debate on gun control is a sad reminder that there is a big problem in America. However, my position is that these people causing agony for families and are being called gunmen should be called their real names, terrorists . Evil is evil, don’t try to create another name for it . Mass shooting ,no matter the nationality or religion of whoever commits it should be regarded as a terror attack.
America must wake up to the reality of this dangerous disease that is gradually becoming a tradition in a country that is supposed to be a model for others. It is not enough for a country to see itself as the greatest nation on earth when such a country cannot guarantee the safety of her school children
Gunmen should be treated and called terrorists who they are. To me, anyone involved in shootings is a terrorist and not gunman. You don’t dignify a terrorist by calling him a gunman. Now that mass shootings is becoming too rampant in America, something very urgent should be done to salvage the situation. America should call a spade a spade in the interest of the young school children whose lives are on the line .
