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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
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
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
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.
Grant, Michelle. "Las Vegas Shooting: Hotel Security a Concern, expert says Mandalay bay
http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2017/10/02/las-vegas-shooting-hotel-security-
Pramuk, Jacob. "Democrats Quickly Call for Tighter Gun Laws After Las Vegas Shooting
Rose, Joel. "Nightmare Scenario: Concert Security Experts Grapple with Lessons of Las
https://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2017/10/07/556160413/nightmare-scenario-
2017.
Silos, Marie. "Support for Gun Control on the Rise After Los Vegas Shooting, Poll Shows."