Fla. massacre demands thorough investigation

Seething strains of hate coalesced early Sunday in an Orlando, Fla., nightclub before exploding into the deadliest mass killing on U.S. soil since Sept. 11, 2001.

According to preliminary reports, an incendiary mix of terror, bigotry and hate sparked the horrendous killing of at least 50 patrons and wounding of more than 50 others at the trendy Pulse dance club. Officials theorize it was an act of terror with potential ties to the Islamic State group and a bigoted hate crime aimed squarely at the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community that found safe haven at the club.

In the aftermath of the horror, we join the growing chorus of political, social, law-enforcement and religious leaders in condemning the massacre and in offering condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims.

We, like so many others, also are left scratching our heads once again in search of answers to what could have motivated the shooter, Omar Mateen, a 29-year-old American citizen from Fort Pierce, Fla., to carry out such a grisly, cold-blooded murderous rampage.

Initial reports indicate Mateen had sworn allegiance to the West-hating Islamic State in a 911 call moments before he executed his mass murder. In addition, NBC News reported that the sight of two men kissing in a Miami street a few weeks ago had ratcheted up Mateen’s anti-gay bigotry.

In the days, weeks and months ahead, the FBI and other law-enforcement agenices must spare no energy in uncovering motives and in identifying any possible co-conspirators to the crime. Hatred cannot win the day.

This week’s shootings, like those one year ago this week at a Charleston, S.C., church, targeted a specific group of Americans. In South Carolina, it was African Americans. In Florida, it was the LGBT community.

Just as the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church served as a sanctuary of comfort for African Americans in Charleston, the nightclub served as a place of solidarity and empowerment for the gay community of metropolitan Orlando. The irony of the Orlando bloodbath is heightened further by its occurrence during June, a monthlong celebration of pride among homosexuals that dates back to the Stonewall Tavern riot in New York City in June 1969.

ENCOURAGING AFTEREFFECTS

Yet amid the anguish and carnage rise a few encouraging aftereffects. The professional response by Orlando and other regional law-enforcement agencies likely prevented an even higher death toll at the club filled with more than 300 patrons. The federal government quickly stepped up to the plate to initiate what they vow will be a no-stones-left-unturned investigation. And Americans of all races, colors, religions and sexual orientations stood in long lines Sunday to donate blood to save the lives of the dozens of hospitalized victims. Islamic leaders throughout the nation condemned the attacks as antithetical to their religion.

Just as 9/11 unified this nation in its commitment to protect and defend American values, so, too, should the Florida shootings intensify our national resolve to end the reckless string of mass shootings that have become all too commonplace in recent years.

In the immediate aftermath of Sunday’s carnage, President Barack Obama once again dutifully marched out to a lectern at a hastily declared news conference to stand tall as this nation’s comforter in chief. He once again reminded Americans of how easy it is for an individual with deranged thought patterns to access the needed tools to murder without mercy.

To be sure, the attacks will once again bring to the forefront the national debate over gun rights and gun controls, with the rancorous presidential campaign serving as a high-profile backdrop.

While we always have staunchly defended Americans’ Second Amendment rights to bear arms, we recognize that with those rights come responsibilities. Most Americans agree. A full 75 percent of respondents to a Pew poll supported expansion of background checks.

But of course, even with the strictest background checks, some firearms will end up in irresponsible hands. That’s why it’s important for friends and family members of those with propensities toward violence work to ensure that firearms are securely locked. The state cannot and should not be expected to do it all.

By using the Florida tragedy as a starting point to personally commit to battling bigotry and reducing gun violence, some long-lasting good may result from the fleeting minutes of evil that ripped at the heart of Orlando and the nation yesterday morning.