Vigil Space for LSU

While traveling in Mexico City, I was entering the local shopping mall with some other students after dinner. Immediately, an alarm began to sound, and we saw everyone from inside of the mall running toward us, trying to get out of the building. My reaction was, “There’s a shooter.” I heard a girl in my group shout to me, “Relax... it’s just an earthquake.” I was relieved, and we all began to smile and joke around again.

This moment was a wake-up call for me. I began to ask myself questions: Why was my first reaction that there was an active shooter, and why was I relieved when I found out it was an earthquake? Is this reaction unique to Americans? Is gun violence America’s most prevalent “natural disaster”?

Before this moment, I had never had much of an opinion on gun violence or gun laws, but as I began to pay more attention, I realized that this is an issue our country faces. Guns have become normalized in American culture, and my home state of Louisiana is one of the worst. Guns are a weapon that can dehumanize life. When someone is holding a gun, they may not fully comprehend the power they carry. Think about if we added “gun” to the game Rock, Paper, Scissors—some things are simply too powerful to be thrown into the mix.

There is a lack of understanding and education about the abuse of gun ownership in Louisiana. It is important to bring this dialogue to the state, and Louisiana State University is a strong place to begin. The chosen site is an alleyway formed by the walls of the Huey P. Long Fieldhouse and the Cox Communications Academic Center for Student Athletes. It is located between the Indian Mounds and the PMAC, and because of the new Nicholson Gateway development, it receives a substantial amount of foot traffic.