As a newspaper reporter covering a police beat in a relatively violent city during the 1980s, I witnessed the immediate aftermath of multiple shootings. A few times I arrived on the scene before the cops themselves.
Nearly 25 years later, friends and relatives still ask me why I moved to Japan.
SMH.
Waking up this morning and just shocked.
I had dozens upon dozens of friends go to that event 
Just thankful they’re all okay.
The world isn’t killing itself.
I think it’s important to not sensationalize these events.
It’s tragic and deeply saddening, but don’t extrapolate this tragedy to mean that the world is killing itself. That’s just hysteria and muddles the reality of what’s really going on with why these attacks are occurring.
Wow, what a malicious act of violence. Noticed a couple videos up on twitter of the crowds of people in the streets and tourists thinking the noise was construction work.
Glad to hear your ok Gary and everyone else on e4.
This is 100% true. A lot of the pessimisum is from the fact that news agencys get a lot of attention when they report on stories like this, which is their job. AKA it’s anicdotal evidence that the world is killing itself, but the actual data says the complete oppostite:
While stuff like this is tragic, and deeply sadens us, it’s important to remember this world is not as bad as reporters make it seem. Stay safe everyone and hope for the best of those injured in Vegas.
I just passed through Vegas this morning on my way to arizona. Didnt know about the shooting till I heard about it on the radio.
Thanks for marking yourself safe on UPCCC. I was going to message you as well. Glad you are safe.
yeah first thing i thought of was garinson.
I always believed in this conclusion but as you had put it, I was far from the truth. You just enlightened me about using generic phrases to generic incidents. 
Glad you are okay. hopefully no one personally knows anyone that was effected by this event.
Not sure if this is allowed but a girl I know from my small town in Iowa was one of the victims. Here is a link for a go fund me page.
Realizing now they stopped the go fund me for her, not sure why.
Ahhh…thanks everyone for the kind words and well wishes. Considering about 600 people were injured or killed (half of them locals) it’s a little surprising that to this point I don’t know any. I do know many who attended and were amongst the 20,000.
I do know many of the hospital workers, doctors, and administrators though. One told me that of the 180 brought to Sunrise Hospital, 120 were from bullets. The others were from trampling and falls. Just imagine.
I appreciate nobody making this political. There’s strong and reasonable arguments on all sides. We just need to respect each other’s freedom to decide what they wish cause there’s truly no right or wrong, There’s only good solid compassionate citizens with differing points of view.
To show you how amazing this community is, the American Red Cross put out an urgent call for blood (Yes. They got mine but I don’t know who would want it;) I swear, when I got there there were over a hundred people in line. And that was only one location.
Our cities Go Fund Me page just keeps zooming past the goals. Initially they were hoping to hit the 250,000 goal. Well look at it now:)
If anyone is considering donating to a GoFundMe campaign related to this terrible incident, I highly recommend the one that Gary mentions just above. As you’ll see, it was started by a government official, and it has received plenty of media attention. In other words, it’s completely legit. They money will absolutely go to those who need it.
I have been close to multiple people who have had them started without their knowledge by a friend/relative about a situation that they planned to fully handle on their own. I know I have money saved, and/or insurance and plans in place if anything were to ever happen to myself, my car, my house etc. I would never want a gofundme started in my name and I know I am not alone in that line of thinking. Could have been a situation like that.
That site really really needs to vet things out more IMO and just plain not allow funding for certain things. It is abused so often and really is a poor way of raising money for so many situations with the fees. I really don’t like it as so many of the things that come up in my community aren’t like the amazing Houston hurricane one started by JJ Watt or the one above shown by NZG for Vegas, but they are just people funding their reckless financial behavior. I think it is great for the former examples as they receive funds from all over which would be harder to garner without an online based fundraiser. Recent examples of the latter though that I have seen come across my own Facebook feed include $1500 set of tires for a sports car that a kid I graduated high school with under the guise of “keeping his kid safe”. He drives like a maniac to begin with and runs his card on bald tires because he smokes and drinks too much to afford them himself. Also frequently have back to school and christmas gofundmes for people who choose to have coach bags, iphone X’s and fancy things for themselves only to have no money left for their kids. Recently another needed $2,000 for “books” for his $40,000+ college choice that was successful in raising funding and a few weeks later he bought a new car…
Y’all stay safe!! In my own experience i was once lucky to … wenn ISIS blew up a terminal at Zaventem , Belgium… i was departing few hours later
@garyis2000 Your experience kind of reminds me of my 9/11 experience as a New Yorker. A ton of people in my social circle (friends of my parents, parents of my friends, etc.) worked right in the middle of downtown Manhattan… including my mom who was at work two buildings adjacent to the Twin Towers. So many innocent lives perished… and yet somehow none of them had any direct connection to my life. It’s still an event that defines my childhood (I consider my childhood to have ended on that day). I’m sure this is something that will stay with the people of Vegas for a long time to come.
Very well said. That was a horrible day. I was living in central Ohio and had a collectible card shop in Pickerington.
Have you seen Breaking Bad?
Walt was also too proud to take anyone’s money or charity so he became a drug king pin. He was not ok with Walt Jr.'s gofundme and ended up funding it himself with drug money.
There are people who do plan for the inevitable, but their means and measures are still not enough when the unthinkable happens. I think gottaketchumall’s point is more to the fact that a lot of people who request money through gofundmes are doing so because they feel like victims rather than connecting the dots that they made poor choices in the past. Obviously the Las Vegas victims are true victims, regardless of their choices/preparation.