The Worst Massacre in U.S. History
Hate and terror drive a murdered to commit this atrocity at a gay bar
Masacre en Orlando, Florida. Crédito: EFE
A brand new massacre shakes the nation. Fifty people dead and 53 injured are the tally of the worst mass shooting in the history of our country. The first details we have learned point to a complex combination of factors – including hatred against the gay community, extremist Islamism and the easy access to military weapons – as the elements that allowed Omar Mateen to commit such a crime.
The connection with radical Islam came up immediately, as Mateen, a Muslim man born in the U.S. of Afghan parents, was in the FBI’s radar. His name was on a long list that including thousands of people suspected of sympathizing and having ties with extremists but that do not appear to require arrest.
The killer’s choosing of an LGBT club on the same weekend when Gay Pride is being celebrated throughout the nation is an indication of his hatred towards that community. His cruelty coincides with the brutal murders of people who have identified themselves as gay in ISIS-occupied areas.
An investigation will determine if this is the case of a man who has become radicalized independently or if he has relations with terrorist groups. For now, this massacre holds some similarities with the Boston Marathon bombing and the San Bernardino shooting in that an individual has taken the initiative to commit actions that reaffirm the ideas of their religious extremism.
What we do know is that, if he had not been able to obtain an assault weapon with high-capacity magazines, it would have been hard to kill this many people in so little time. Mateen has a firearms license and knew how to operate them because he had worked as a security guard. It is fair to question why, if he was under the FBI’s vigilance, he was able to have such a permit.
The AR-15 assault rifles and the magazines Mateen used were banned until 2004, when Congress rejected the prohibition’s renewal. This allowed civilians to access weapons designed for war, made to kill people. The fact that they are sold to the general public is an abomination.
Many questions about this tragedy will be answered during the inquiry. Still, the answer as to why the murdered was able to kill so many people in so little time will be maliciously ignored by lobbyists and gun enthusiasts who will say that it distracts from the main issue — until the next massacre.
