This month marked a heartbreaking milestone for America, one that we hoped would never occur. As the country woke up to the worst mass shooting in the nation’s history, the world was in shock along with Las Vegas – witnessing the horror and helplessness playing out in real-time on the internet and television.

And after law enforcement swept in and stabilized the unimaginable scene of a gunman sniping innocent and unsuspecting concert goers, the aftermath was unthinkable. More than five hundred innocent citizens injured and dozens shot dead – many not knowing from one instant to the next what was going on before they were killed beside both loved ones and strangers.

Within seconds, there were hundreds of victims added to the ranks of a designation nobody chooses. It was a sad reminder that victims don’t fit a profile, and they don’t know when they will be victimized. They don’t wake up in the morning knowing that it’s “today” that a life-altering event will change the course of their life. They don’t get to plan ahead to make sure they have things covered, or even, in some cases, say goodbye to their families.  Victimization strikes in an unsuspecting instant that is frozen in time for the person who is attacked and the families they leave behind.

This tragic time has reminded our society of many important things, including to put ourselves in the place of our fellow citizens who suffered the incomprehensible events of the Las Vegas shooting.

Simply put; victims, regardless of which state or community they are from, deserve the utmost respect and dignity our nation and state laws can afford them.