Sunny Downtown Orlando Florida.

The mass shooting at the gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, is the worst shooting in modern United States history. Fifty people were killed including the gunman, and dozens more were injured to varying degrees. The ordeal lasted for several hours, and included a hostage situation and a shootout between SWAT team members and the shooter. The shooter, Omar Mateen, has been labeled as a terrorist, marking this the largest terrorist attack since September 11, 2001. Those who are against guns have come forward calling for more gun control laws, which has raged a political debate nationwide. More than that, though, we have seen the country come together as a nation and support those affected by the shooting.

Some may find this surprising considering the fact that this happened at a gay nightclub. There are many people who do not agree with homosexuality, but for the most part, even they have expressed their condolences at this tragedy. Seeing the country come together in the midst of a tragedy can be heartwarming. People often put their moral and political differences behind them and unite to pay respects to those lost in the shooting. Here are some ways that we have seen this happen.

Blood Donors

The day following the shooting, many people in Orlando went to their nearest blood donation center in order to give blood to help the victims who survived but had serious injuries. Not only did the local blood centers see hundreds of people stand in line to donate, makeshift blood donation centers were put up specifically to help deal with the tragedy. Those blood donation centers also saw many people. People from different backgrounds and beliefs stood together in line in order to help those who were suffering.

Prayer Vigils Nationwide

Many met up at prayer vigils in cities all over the country.

• Many of these were interfaith vigils, which once again proved that just because you believe in something different doesn’t mean you can’t come together.
• Many of these vigils had incredible turnouts.
• Those who could not personally attend the vigils attended in spirit, stopping to pray or think about those affected in the shooting.

GoFundMe Account

A GoFundMe account was set up to help support the victims and the families of those whose lives were taken in the attack. To date, over 50,000 people have donated and numbers have reached over $2 million. The creator of the account has said this money would be distributed to those affected in the shooting.

Free Travel

There were many who had family members involved in the shooting, but lived far away and had no way to get to the victims. Airline JetBlue announced it would offer free travel to and from Orlando to those who were related to anyone involved in the shooting, as well as their domestic partners.

Rainbow Lighting

The rainbow is the sign of gay pride. Many places such as the One World Trade Center and bridges and public locations nationwide lit up in rainbow colors as a way of showing support to those in the shooting as well as the gay community.

Heroism

There were some heroes in the midst of the tragedy as well. For example, Josh McGill was in the club when the shots first started firing. He and his friend were able to escape, but they came across a man who had been shot and appeared to be mortally wounded. Instead of running to safety, they assisted the man and McGill rode with him on the ambulance, helping apply pressure to the wounds.

No one wants to see a tragedy like this happen, but it’s nice to see some good come out of it. Hopefully, this sense of togetherness will last for a while before everyone gets swept up in everyday life and political debates once again.