Following the Las Vegas shooting – the deadliest in modern United States history – Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is calling for change. From Anthony Slater of The Athletic:
“We saw the horror, the live footage of it. Just hearing the automatic weapon was just terrifying.”
…
“We’ve been offering victims thoughts and prayers for three decades. We need to offer them something else.”
Gun control is an important topic for Kerr, one that he’s spoken out on in the past. Kerr has experienced the senseless tragedy brought about by the ubiquity of firearms in this nation firsthand; his father was murdered by two men with guns in 1984.
Kerr told Slater that his expectation is that nothing will change after this latest shooting.
That’s understandable and is probably a feeling shared by many. We didn’t do anything after Virginia Tech. We didn’t do anything after Sandy Hook. We didn’t do anything after Orlando.
Why will this be any different?
Kerr is doing what every person with a platform should be doing; calling out our government for their lack of action. Holding them accountable.
Kerr referred to a “lack of concern, lack of compassion that exists in Congress.” Kerr is the head coach of perhaps the most dominant team in sports, and he’s experienced gun violence firsthand. His voice will be heard.
We need the voices of every person with a platform to be heard, though. Even without a family member or friend having been directly affected by gun violence, it should be painfully clear to everybody that this is an issue.
