Nothing hits harder than a shooting in your home city.
When I got the call on Saturday about shots fired in Lynn, with three injured, one dead and a dog that had to be put down because of its injuries, my stomach dropped. I couldn’t get over the suffocating feeling that I knew one of the four victims.
The following day, I found out I did know one of them. I was her camp counselor and have known her since she was 12 years old. I felt my breath halt as I read her name as one of the four shot. All this, because she attended a community basketball game.
Sunday night, I was still slightly in shock. I attended St. Anthony’s Feast in Boston’s North End, trying to get my mind off the irrational fear that was looming over me. Toward the end of the festival, the fireworks went off.
I remember my heart stopping in fear of it being gunshots. I remember looking around for the nearest spot where I could duck and cover. I remember looking around to my group of friends and thinking, is this really it?
We all have our own opinions on gun control. Whether you are for gun control, against gun control, or somewhere in between, we can all agree on one thing: safety. Opinions on the matter go out the window when the guns hit home.
We, as a society, need to find common ground. If not, we’ll spend the rest of our days attending community events, or festivals, or concerts wondering if we’re the next ones to be shot.
