Almost two weeks ago, Thousand Oaks, a town in California, was devastated by a mass shooting that took place at the Borderline Bar & Grill. It was a Wednesday night, the seventh of November, and the bar was filled mostly with young college students. Shortly after 11 p.m. a man dressed in all black approached and shot the security guard. Many witnesses say that they weren’t alarmed at first, and assumed the shot was simply a sound effect. However, chaos unfolded shortly after as the gunman entered the bar and took a total of twelve lives before fatally shooting himself. The man was 28-year-old Ian David Long, he was an ex-Marine, and had used a legally purchased firearm. Authorities found him dead in the bar shortly after the gunfire stopped.  Many of the victims were college students, and one has survived the shooting in Las Vegas that happened last year. Over ten others were injured during this tragedy.  

Since that night, the conversation of gun control in the United States has been brought up once again. However, many business owners and residents in Thousand Oaks have purchased guns in response to the shooting, suddenly feeling the need to protect themselves. Many nearby universities cancelled classes following the shooting, and then cancelled even more due to the wildfires that affected the area. Recently, students have been able to return to their classes, but for many of them, it just doesn’t feel the same. President Donald Trump visited the victims of the shooting only days ago, describing the experience as “tragic” but “very beautiful.”  Going forward, witnesses, and friends and families of victims hope to honor their lost loved ones, heal from this tragedy, and keep each other safe.