LETTER: We must address the assault weapons scourge

Aurora Cox Las Vegas October 2, 2026 - 9:01 pm On Thursday the nation observed the nine‑year anniversary of the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. A gunman armed with multiple AR‑15 rifles equipped with bump stocks killed sixty people and wounded hundreds more in roughly ten minutes at the Route 91 euphony festival on the Las Vegas Strip. The trauma spread through the community. Friends and family rushed to check on one another, asking, “Was everyone OK? What could we do to help?” Blood banks saw long lines, and the inaugural game of the local NHL franchise opened with a solemn tribute to the victims and first responders. For the author, the anniversary recalled another tragedy. A year earlier, while living in Orlando, she had witnessed the aftermath of the Pulse nightclub shooting on June 12 2016, an event that left her own community shattered. Since then, military‑style weapons have appeared in every single one of the nation’s deadliest mass shootings. These firearms are engineered to kill as many people as possible, as quickly as possible, and they have no place in civilian life. The issue is now before the Supreme Court in Viramontes v. Cook County. The Court may block the future enactment of commonsense assault‑weapon bans across the country. To honor those lost and prevent any repeat, the justices must prioritize public safety over gun‑lobby profits and keep weapons of war off American streets. Accepting such violence as normal or inevitable is unacceptable.