Lessons from Las Vegas Shooting

Amid various gun shooting incidents that take place in the United States each year

with new resolutions from the law enforcement agencies to stop them, the worst happened on

October 1, 2017 when more than 59 persons were killed and more than 527 were injured by a

single shooter who took an automatic in his hands and sprayed bullets on the crowd, making

all panic and flee for life (Belson, Medina and Perez-Pena). The report by Ken Belson,

Jennifer Medina and Richard Perez-Pena published in the New York Times state that the

people first thought it a firework and continued enjoying the concert. However, when most of

the them "heard scream" and running away people, they also ran to the exits, causing the

worst stampede. More than 22,000 people were jam packed into the hall when Stephen

Paddock took aim at them, hammering the window of his suite, causing deaths more than any

other long attack in the US history (Bleson, Medina and Perez). Although the report is merely

a mention of facts and what happened on the ground, it also makes one ponder over the

lessons that each of such act can teach the administration as well as the public. It means that

such incidents often teach a lesson of not leaving soft targets for such shooters and making

strict control over gun licenses and gun purchases.

As far as the first lesson about the soft targets is concerned, it seems a vague one but it

is specific at the same time. It is vague because even then beaches and coastal areas will be

soft targets (Grant). The answer is, yes, they are soft targets but the first lesson is that a soft

target must not let be the soft one for such shooters. This has not happened for the first time in

the US history. It means that the repetition of such acts must have invited greater security

concerns. Michelle Grant of Fox News asks former Homeland Security Advisor who says the
hotels and concerts are "soft targets," adding that there are no metal detectors in hotels

(Grant). In other words, Michelle Grant wants to remind the viewers that such places are soft

targets for such lone gun handlers such as Stephen Paddock. Joel Rose has also argued the

same case saying that "The Las Vegas shooting is a chilling reminder that big public concerts

remain a soft target" (Rose). This again is the point that the lesson about soft targets has not

been learnt. It means that the security departments have not forced the hotel owners and the

administration of such concerts and halls to make prior security arrangements; a lesson that

should have been learned prior to such an incident. It could point to another lesson that is,

how did Paddock lay his hands upon automatic that he had? It means there is gun control.

The second lesson from Las Vegas shooting is that there is a need for strict gun control

either in the shape of gun license or permission or in the shape of gun purchases. Jacob

Pramuk of CNBC has pointed it out during his discussion that the enactment of strict rules and

laws on gun control could have helped to avoid the massacre. He states that so far everybody

has either expressed shock over the incident or laid the blame on the Congress about "a lack

of action" or lack of legislation (Pramuk). In this connection, he also reminds "Prominent

Republicans have called previous pushes for stricter gun laws an effort to restrict Second

Amendment rights" (Pramuck). This means that both sides of the political divide in the United

States were out to push the Congress to enact stricter gun control legislations to avoid similar

shootings in the future. Even Marie Solis has also reported about rise in the gun control

demand in News Week saying "Americans increasing support stricter gun control legislation

in the aftermath" of this shooting (Solis). It means that the even the public is behind the

lawmakers for laws against the guns.

 Works Cited

Belson, Ken, Jennifer Medina and Richard Perez-Pena. "A Burst of Gunfire, a Pause, The

Carnage in Las Vegas That Would Not Stop." The New York Times. 02 Oct. 2017.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/02/us/las-vegas-shooting-live-updates.html.

Accessed on 19 Nov. 2017.

Grant, Michelle. "Las Vegas Shooting: Hotel Security a Concern, expert says Mandalay bay

was 'soft target.'" Fox News. 02 Oct. 2017.

http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2017/10/02/las-vegas-shooting-hotel-security-

concern-expert-says-mandalay-bay-was-soft-target.html. Accessed on 19 Nov. 2017.

Pramuk, Jacob. "Democrats Quickly Call for Tighter Gun Laws After Las Vegas Shooting

Massacre." CNBC. 02 Oct. 2017. https://www.cnbc.com/2017/10/02/democrats-urge-

gun-law-changes-after-las-vegas-shooting-massacre.html. Accessed on 19 Nov. 2017.

Rose, Joel. "Nightmare Scenario: Concert Security Experts Grapple with Lessons of Las

Vegas." NPR. 07 Oct. 2017.

https://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2017/10/07/556160413/nightmare-scenario-

concert-security-experts-grapple-with-lessons-of-las-vegas. Accessed on 19 Nov.

2017.

Silos, Marie. "Support for Gun Control on the Rise After Los Vegas Shooting, Poll Shows."

Newsweek. 10 Nov. 2017. http://www.newsweek.com/support-gun-control-spikes-

after-las-vegas-shooting-poll-shows-682250. 11 Nov. 2017.