Drew Pescaro, UNC-Charlotte shooting victim, calls for change in wake of attack
A University of North Carolina at Charlotte student is advocating that something be done just a few weeks after a gunman stormed into his classroom and opened fire on him and his fellow students as the academic year was winding down.
Drew Pescaro, 19, of Apex, took to Instagram on Tuesday to post an "open letter," and advocate for change in order to prevent more mass shootings from occurring in the U.S.
"I am sick and tired of all the violence in this country," Pescaro wrote. "It seems we can't go a day without a new mass shooting appearing in the news. The hardest part is that every single time one of those occurs I can 100 percent relate to it on a physical and emotional level."
Two students were killed on April 30 while Pescaro and three other students were hurt when Trystan Andrew Terrell, 22, barged into a classroom as end-of-year presentations in an anthropology class were underway and opened fire, sending students ducking for cover or running for their lives.
In his social media post, Pescaro said he was grateful for the support he has received during his time in the hospital and the police officers who were able to rush him there, but Pescaro devoted most of his post sharing his thoughts and emotions about the incident and what should be done to prevent similar attacks.
"All I can ask is- what is being done to try to prevent these tragedies, or rather, these terroristic attacks on our schools, places of religious gatherings, concert venues, etc.?" Pescaro asked in the post. "It feels like we aren't doing a thing about it and that we wish the best for the people involved and then move on with our daily lives until the next one happens."
Pescaro singled out North Carolina's lawmakers and the United States government in the post because they have the power to make change.
He suggests that "going to extremes" by taking away guns from everyone and arming only the "good guys" is not the answer to solve mass shootings because it is impossible to determine who is "good" and who is "bad."
"Just because there's no prior criminal history dose not mean they won't go and commit criminal acts in the future," he said.
He adds that mental health should not not be used as an excuse for those who commit acts of violence of this magnitude because he knows many people, including himself, who suffer from mental health issues "who wouldn't even conceive the idea of hurting another human being and terrorizing the surrounding community through such horrible acts."
"This problem has gone on for far too long and I can't live the rest of my life with this continuously happening and having to consistently relive my experience over and over in my head and be able to relate full scale with the new tragedy in the news," he said. "I promise you going through something like this once is enough."
Pescaro ends the letter with an update on his physical health after spending nearly a full month in the hospital. He is physically almost back to normal, but he still sees a therapist for his mental health.
"Some days I am perfectly fine, others I experience extreme anger/sadness over time that transpired that day and that has happened since," he said.
Instead of bottling up his emotions, Pescaro said he used the post to help his mental health that has suffered since the April attack.
