That’s what Kansas City Chief’s quarterback Patrick Mahomes wrote on X after the shooting at the team’s victory parade.
It’s happened again. Another celebration marred by gun violence.
The New York Times has an exceptionally well written news analysis about this. Sports writer John Branch calls it “A Game, A Parade, A Shooting: The Story of America in Three Acts.”
Branch is absolutely right. This is where we are. America, the world really, has been obsessed with the Kansas City Chiefs for one reason. Taylor Swift and Travis Kelsey. My die hard football fans hate this, but it is what it is.
So, when the Chiefs won the Super Bowl, the world watched as Taylor and Travis kissed. Kind of a fairytale ending, if you ask me.
Days later, the victory parade in Kansas City. Then, the shots.
One woman died. 22 others hurt. Most of them children. Frightening stories of people running in all directions separated from their families.
You can’t blame the Kansas City cops. Hundreds were on duty that day. Turns out, it was a dispute that led up to it. Not terrorism. Two juveniles have been arrested. Kids with guns. That’s where we are.
I live in Tampa. We are no stranger to parades here. Our annual Gasparilla celebrations. A few Super Bowls. A few Stanley Cups. We know how to do parades here. I give our local law enforcement a lot of credit too. They keep things safe. But… it could have just as easily happened here. That was one of my first thoughts when I heard about the Kansas City shootings.
People have guns. A lot of people have guns. Kids get their hands on guns. I also don’t think kids have the same regard for life as adults. (And I’m not sure too many adults have a high regard for life anymore.)
We had our own mass shooting not that long ago. Over Halloween, gunfire broke out in the Ybor City area of Tampa. Two dead, sixteen injured. A 22 year old, 21 year old and 14 year old arrested.
This week, we also marked the sixth anniversary of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. Seventeen dead, seventeen wounded. It just doesn’t seem to end.
The New York Times piece reports that on the anniversary of the Parkland shootings it was 45 days into the new year. 49 mass shootings since 2024 began. That’s according to the Gun Violence Archive.
I have no idea how to fix this. Stricter gun laws? I fear the genie is out of the bottle on that. Better mental health checks for those that want guns? A good start. In America though, people will get their hands on a gun if they try hard enough. Sadly, kids will too with devastating consequences.
I have no answers here except to say that this is where we are. Our culture intersects with football, a parade, and a shooting.
Praying for Kansas City.