Saturday night was seemingly like any other. After spending the evening with family, I peacefully went to sleep to the sounds of the Youtube video playing from my iPad. Little did I know, as I was preparing for bed, 15 minutes away, the lives of the members of the Brooklyn community of Baltimore were changing forever. In the early morning of Sunday, July 2nd, around 12 a.m., a mass shooting occurred at a Brooklyn block party that injured 30 people.

It is with a heavy heart that I once again report on a mass shooting in the United States. During the incident, two individuals suffered fatal injuries, and fifteen of the victims were minors. It’s baffling how this behavior continues in this country, yet gun control is not regarded as a tangible issue. While people across the nation celebrated freedom in honor of America’s 4th of July holiday, Independence Day, 11 mass shootings already occurred in the U.S. This year marks America’s 247th birthday, and 247 years later, American leaders are determined to follow the unchanging amendments of the Constitution. 

At the time of the writing of this article, there are no suspects. But what can you really expect when even a child can get a gun in some states, and when guns are illegally traded daily? It’s not as difficult as it should be to get one of these dangerous weapons. While police are unsure if the victims or the attack was targeted, here’s what they do know: most of the victims were teens (young black and brown people experience the highest rates of gun homicide, and firearms are the leading cause of death for people ages 18-20) and there are at least two offenders involved in the incident. Mayor of Baltimore, Brandon Scott, vowed, “​​We will not rest until we find those who cowardly decided to shoot up this block party and carry out acts of violence which we know will be illegal guns.” 

However, finding whoever committed the act is not enough. So far this year, gun violence resulted in more than 21,000 deaths in the U.S., and it has certainly taken its toll on the country. Not only is it harming the victims, but also their loved ones. According to NPR, “A far larger number of people are left grieving, traumatized, and at a risk of long-term struggles with a range of mental health issues.” Both fatal and nonfatal incidents impact the mental health of those directly impacted and the community. Psychologist Robin Gurwitch at Duke University insightfully points out, "Any time a community is impacted by large-scale mass violence, the community is changed forever…The names of those communities are now linked to mass violence.”

Once again I plead, America, it's time to get serious about gun control. While some may think the freedom to bear arms is a right, widespread access to one of the deadliest weapons should be concerning instead of celebrated. 

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Featured Image via Tom Def

Resources: 

https://www.npr.org/2023/07/04/1185953565/mass-shootings-emotional-toll 

https://www.axios.com/2023/07/02/baltimore-shooting-brooklyn-homes-block-party 

https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/03/us/baltimore-block-party-shooting-monday/index.html 

https://www.americanprogress.org/article/gun-violence-disproportionately-and-overwhelmingly-hurts-communities-of-color/ 

https://everytownresearch.org/rankings/law/minimum-age-to-purchase/