Will this presidential election be the most important in American history?
A lone gunman opened fire inside the Pulse nightclub early this morning, killing 50 and injuring 53. Law enforcement personnel have since identified the shooter as Omar Mateen, a Muslim of Afghan descent. Omar’s father stated that his son had become enraged after seeing two men kissing, but was unsure the motive of the shooting.
ISIS is now claiming responsibility for the attack, and on the other side of the country, the LAPD has arrested a man with weapons and explosives who said he was heading to a gay pride event in the city. All this as ISIS calls for increased violence during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
As reported by Fox News,
ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack Sunday afternoon via its Amaq news agency, Reuters reported. Amaq said an “Islamic State fighter” carried out the assault. It was not clear, however, if the shooting was actually directed by the terror group or only inspired by it.
The attack in Orlando at Pulse, which bills itself as “the hottest gay bar” in the city and was packed with more than 300 people for “Latin Night,” was reported minutes after 2 a.m. Sunday.
Dozens of partygoers remained hostage in the club for several hours after the initial shooting, prompting SWAT teams to rush inside. Shortly after 6 a.m. local time, Orlando police tweeted that the gunman had been killed. Authorities said there was not believed to be any further threat to the area.
“We know enough to say this was an act of terror and an act of hate,” President Obama said in a speech from the White House on Sunday, cautioning that it was still early in the investigation.
House Intelligence Committee Ranking Member Rep. Adam Schiff said in a statement that the timing and location of the attack and information coming from local authorities indicated “an ISIS-inspired act of terrorism.”
“The fact that this shooting took place during Ramadan and that ISIS leadership in Raqqa has been urging attacks during this time, that the target was an LGBT night club during Pride, and – if accurate – that according to local law enforcement the shooter declared his allegiance to ISIS, indicates an ISIS-inspired act of terrorism,” Schiff said. “Whether this attack was also ISIS-directed, remains to be determined. I’m confident that we will know much more in the coming hours and days.”
The gunman, Omar Mir Seddique Mateen, was heard shouting “Allah Akbar” while engaging officers, law enforcement sources told Fox News. Multiple outlets said Mateen called 911 prior to the shooting to pledge allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, but officials could not immediately confirm the reports.
Tragically, Mateen has previously been interviewed by the FBI on 3 different occassions… but in each case, was released. Mateen has no known criminal record and was not under investigation at the time of the shooting.
Following the shooting, leftists were quick to call for a ban on assault rifles (which are already illegal) and compare the horrific event to Christian intolerance of gays in the United States.
Here’s why their reactions are ridiculous. First, guns are inanimate objects that are incapable of killing anyone or anything on their own. We cannot simply pretend that disarming the populace will someone prevent tragedies like this in the future. The Pulse is a gun free zone. Not being allowed to have guns didn’t prevent this action. Furthermore, terrorists don’t follow laws. Nor do they need guns to be able to carry out acts of terror. Homemade bombs were used at the Boston Marathon and box cutters were employed by the 9/11 hijackers. Taking guns away from law abiding citizens doesn’t stop bad guys. It never has, it never will.
Secondly, Christians and Jews aren’t raping, killing, and beheading people every week. Radicalized Muslims are. But the headlines won’t mention that this individual is a Muslim. Neither will the headlines tell you that while Christians are bashed in America for being gay-haters because we might not want to bake a cake for a gay wedding – it’s Islam that has and CONTINUES to teach it’s adherents to KILL those who practice homosexuality.
Omar Mateen targeted the Pulse night club because it is a gay bar. ONLY Islam still teaches its adherents to kill gay people (or anyone else that happens to hold a differing opinion). Christians are like, hey, you’re free to do whatever you want. I disagree with you completely, but I love you as a person. I’m simply not going to embrace your lifestyle or pretend that I think what you’re doing is okay when my faith teaches me it’s not. What Christians aren’t going to do? Kill you for being gay. WHY? Because Jesus never raped anyone, never murdered anyone, and never called for genocide. Muhammad did ALL of these things. Not every Christian is perfect. Jesus was. Not every Muslim is a terrorist. But Muhammad was. See the difference?
