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user-inactivated  ·  2846 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Deadliest mass shooting in US history kills 50 in Orlando gay bar

This is what I woke up to, a call from my mom at 9 in the morning once she was up and caught wind of it to make sure both myself and my brother were ok. Didn't know whether or not to post about it here seeing as I'm sure it's being plastered across media anyways.

As a local, thankfully none of my friends were there, or if they'd be in that crowd, they were out of town. All across my Facebook feed is the regular mix of outrage and lament around the issues at hand, but the two things that stick out the most are (1) the fact that this is the second day in a row we wake up to another gun-related homocide and (2) the overwhelming support of the community.

As Caspus mentioned, people are lining up to give blood. Hell, my mom had called me from a line herself where my dad had driven to give blood. Also, I'm seeing posts across therapy/trauma sites offering either free counseling and/or hotlines to call for help.

Needless to say, we're all downtrodden and looking to help. My roommates have had the news on since they woke up and calling to let others know they're OK.

If you're thinking of how you could help, then the best advice I could say is call friends and family in the area. Just checking in with them could go a long way. There are more ways to help here. Lastly, I'd like to make a plug about writing to representatives about smart gun legislation to prevent future tragedies...

EDIT: Dad just posted a video at the line to blood donation bus, he's so far down the line that the bus is only a few pixels high. Also, a reminder that if you can donate blood, please do in the coming weeks.