In the wake of Las Vegas' Sunday night massacre, where 59 people were killed and more than 500 seriously injured, survivors of Orlando's Pulse nightclub shooting have offered their condolences.
Speaking to NBC News, Pulse survivor Patience Carter said: "My first reaction was to cry. I cried because I actually believed that this world could change for the better, and that hope was shattered." Carter's femur had been shattered in the Orlando shooting. "Survivors are going to need love from all corners. We need to rally around them, hug them, love them and pray for them. There's an unexplainable dark pit you fall into after a tragedy that makes you blame yourself. This needs to be addressed right away, because the guilt of thinking there's something else you could have done will eat you away."
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Another Pulse survivor, Brandon Wolf, explained how he felt waking up to the news of the Las Vegas: "The word that jumped into my mind was, 'again.' It was eerily familiar. For folks in the Pulse community, as well as others impacted by gun violence, this is the reality we live in. Every day, we wake from nightmares of gunshots. Only today, we couldn't wake up. I relived the same fear and heartache I felt 16 months ago."
Pulse owner, Barbara Poma, also released a statement: "Finding words to convey the depth of horror we are all witnessing in Las Vegas is just impossible. It is just unimaginable that another mass shooting of even greater scope than that of Pulse Nightclub could occur again in this country, but indeed, it has. We must work harder to stop these crimes that destroy human life. We pray for those whose lives were taken, as well as for the wounded and the hundreds who will forever be affected by this monumental tragedy."
Call your representatives and urge them to take action toward gun control laws, right now. You can use 5calls.org as a resource on what numbers to dial and what specific words to say.