Design and illustration courtesy of Chuck Seelye.

It was a short 16 months ago that I penned my first post on Facebook publicly addressing my thoughts and feelings on a massive shooting-related tragedy. That was Pulse, Orlando. 49 dead. 58 wounded. Absolutely heartbreaking.

At the time, I didn’t stop to think that the next (record-setting) mass shooting incident would play out in less than two years. In my heart, I hoped that I would never see something so horrendous unfold again—in Florida, in America, anywhere. Yet, here we are, as a nation, head in hands, leaning on shoulders, curled up in a ball, arm in arm at candlelight vigils, laying flowers on the ground in commemoration, struggling to make sense of any of it. You can’t. It’s sad. It’s beyond sad. None of it makes sense and it never will.

These images of grieving in the aftermath are all too familiar. I listened to Jimmy Kimmel in his monologue Monday night addressing this very thing, sharing thoughts not unlike my own on this subject. Frustrated, sickened, and moved to tears, he mentioned that there had been another shooting that same night in Lawrence, Kansas in which five people were shot and three died. Nobody heard about that because all eyes, completely aghast, were on Vegas. Google it. I did. It’s true. Five shot. Three dead. That’s no less of a tragedy but, in the context of what was happening on the south end of The Strip, it was a complete non-event. We’re so accustomed to these things happening that we’re completely nonplussed. Shootings on top of shootings on top of other catastrophes on top of shootings.

Now, as of Sunday night, the bar has been raised yet again. The new worst mass shooting incident in (recent) US history has just taken place in the city I called home for over eight years. 58 dead. 489 wounded. And, hourly, that death toll continues to rise.

What are we doing? Seriously, people. Let’s stop and ask ourselves. What…are we doing?

How many more lives must be surrendered before somebody actually does something to reverse the trend? I wish the answer were zero but we all know it’s not, and it’s only a matter of time before the media is abuzz with some new horrific story, taking the casualties to new heights.

But to think that there’s nothing that can be done is both naive and foolish. Something can absolutely be done. Many things can be done. But first, each of us needs to acknowledge that there is a fairly serious problem.

This is not a battle in which one must pick a side.This is not simply a gun control issue. This is not simply a mental health issue. It’s both, and then some.

Sandy Hook happened on Obama’s watch. Aurora happened on Obama’s watch. San Bernardino happened on Obama’s watch. Orlando happened on Obama’s watch. This one is a first for our current commander-in-chief and I can’t imagine what it must be like to have to shoulder that type of burden, let alone console all of the grieving friends and family. I can only hope that during his visit to Las Vegas in the days immediately following, each hand he shakes and each hug he delivers is accompanied by utmost sincerity.

It’s tough to say what the shooter’s motivation was but, in truth, it doesn’t matter. Something motivated him to transport, as I understand it, 23 rifles (many, perhaps all of them, automatic) up to the 32nd floor of Mandalay Bay, without incident, smash through the window, and then just start picking off hundreds and hundreds of innocent and helpless victims below.

Second amendment aside, why does any single human being need 23 rifles? Why does any of us continue to agree that this is okay? As I understand it, there were 19 more guns found in his home in Mesquite. I suppose there’s nothing wrong with having 42 guns in your possession except for the fact that there is something very wrong with it. It’s all harmless and completely in-line with the Constitution until it isn’t, and there are dead bodies strewn everywhere. How does any one person amass 42 weapons—legally or illegally—and not come under at least a smidgeon of suspicion?

Can we please stop putting our heads in the sand and acting as if the path we’re on isn’t one of complete annihilation and self-destruction?

It’s a classic case of cutting off our nose to spite our face. So willing are we to cling to our Constitutional amendments in exchange for this perceived right and freedom that we lose sight of the fact that we’re placing ourselves as a whole in harm’s way. It’s not the responsible, stable recreational gun owners that anyone is afraid of. It’s the rest of them. As with anything, that wafer thin percentage of the population committed to bad things ruins it for the rest of us.

Nobody’s talking about taking away guns from sane, kind-hearted, conscientious gun owners. What people are talking about is putting stricter regulations in-place to prevent crazy, irresponsible, unstable, criminally-minded gun owners from killing the rest of us. If you’re a level-headed, responsible gun owner who likes to trap shoot, visit the range, go hunting, self-defend, or just blow off some steam in a controlled environment, as I see it, these regulations are not designed to impede you or put a limit on your fun.

When, after 9-11, everyone had to take off their socks and shoes, pull out their laptops, get patted down, discard all their liquids, remove all paper from their pockets, and be subject to a series of questions to ensure their fitness to fly on a plane, it was plenty inconvenient but it sure does beat the alternative of not putting any of those checks in place and having some deranged crazy onboard hellbent on taking us all down get the opportunity. A small price to pay if you ask me and, after a few flights, it simply becomes a way of life. Wish it could go back to the way it was. We all do, but it can’t. We adjust. We show up a half hour earlier in flip-flops. We clear security. We move on. So long as we’re controlling the risk, I’m good with it.

As it pertains to guns, if you want to own them, you can. You just need to be compliant with a few rules to ensure that the people who shouldn’t have them don’t get them and, thus, don’t get the opportunity to blast other innocent people. Even in that moment in Las Vegas, those on the ground who may have been packing legally had little recourse. The shooter was perched up high. You start shooting, and law enforcement starts shooting at you. It’s a serious catch-22. The weapons you fight so hard for the right to conceal or brandish out in the open, in situations like these, are rendered fairly useless. Those not there who own weapons fancy themselves modern day Lone Rangers, imagining how they would’ve taken out the shooter. That’s cute, but no you wouldn’t. If 22,000 concert goers plus law enforcement couldn’t stop him, I’m guessing, neither could you.

Every last one of you in attendance, including those who prematurely gave their lives, is a rock star and a hero. I'm sorry for all that you have been through and can’t even begin to imagine, but the stories of courage and bravery in the face of absolute chaos and insanity are amazing. Many of you are gone too soon and will forever be missed. For those who are here, recovering from surgeries, returning from donating blood, attempting to get an hour of sleep, trying to stop the ringing in your ears and put those awful images out of your minds, thank you for helping your friends, family, and complete strangers and for sharing details of the harrowing experience. Nothing about this is easy. You are incredible, beautiful, inspiring human beings. I hope no one has to endure anything like this ever again. We can't fix the very broken system we've created overnight but we can, over time, cure what ails us.

Things must change. Deep down, I think we all know this.