By Britt Nelson

Editor’s note: The views expressed by guest columnists are not necessarily those of The Costa Rica Star, its advertisers, or its staff

Another mass shooting has occurred — this time in Florida – and it’s the worst mass murder by a single shooter in the history of the United States. This shooting is getting real political real fast due to its nexus with radical ideology, gun control and terrorism.

Early Sunday morning gunfire erupted at the Pulse gay nightclub in downtown Orlando leaving 50 people dead on the floor including the shooter, 53 taken to local hospitals while about 30 others were rescued by a police SWAT team, according to Orlando police and the FBI.

During a police press conference Monday morning, no further details were given about the conditions of the survivors other than 43 remain hospitalized and are being treated for gunshot wounds.

Police said the SWAT team made a decision to go in at 5am Sunday to confront the shooter and rescue the hostages. The shooter was killed by SWAT. Police found an assault-type AR-15 rifle on the shooter along with a handgun and some sort of “device.” The club was occupied by about 300 patrons when the shooting began. SWAT used an armored vehicle to punch holes through the rear wall of the club to gain entrance and save as many lives as possible.

According to ABC News, the shooter has been identified as Omar Mateen, 29, of Fort Pierce on Florida’s east coast. It’s reported that he was born in New York and his parents emigrated from Afghanistan.

Orlando police said Mateen claimed to be associated with the radical Islamic terrorist group ISIS and he, in fact, had dialed 911 emergency services from inside the nightclub, saying he pledged allegiance with ISIS. ISIS claimed responsibility for the shooting on Sunday through their news agency, reported Fox News.

“We are investigating this as an act of terrorism,” said Danny Banks, with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Officers reported they had been in telephone contact with some of the hostages, during the three-hour siege, who were hiding in different areas inside the nightclub.

As daybreak came Sunday and news of the shooting spread like wildfire around the world, sadly family members and friends looking for their friends, sons and brothers began assembling outside the club where they were instructed to go to a local hospital and speak with investigators.

As of early Monday, police said, 48 of the 49 victims had been identified. Police explained the shooter is the 50th life lost inside the club.

Police said the nightclub shooting had no apparent connection to the fatal Friday night shooting also in Orlando of 22-year-old Christina Grimmie, who had been a 2014 contestant on the highly-rated TV talent show “The Voice.” She was signing autographs for fans after a concert when she was shot.

This nightclub mass shooting will again fire up the issues of gun control facing the United States of America. Needless to say, police are being very careful in their comments. There are numerous issues involved here given the high number of dead inside a popular, upscale gay nightclub. There are possible terrorist ties to radical Islam, a religion that is not tolerant of homosexuality. Orlando TV stations reported a large Muslim presence in Orlando with numerous Islamic mosques. Following police statements during a televised news conference early Sunday, a Muslim cleric spoke out against the violence on national TV.

Presidential candidates and politicians Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump will need to watch what they say and not jump to conclusions about this tragic incident. Their views on gun control could not be more different. Democrats Clinton and Sanders favor much stronger gun laws while Republican Trump wants to continue the status quo and strengthen current gun laws to protect the 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. They are as different as night and day when it comes to guns.

President Obama spoke to the nation early Sunday afternoon. During Obama’s seven years in office some 21 mass shootings have occurred across America.

“We stand with the people of Orlando … This was an act of terror and hate,” Obama said on CNN. “…We will go where the facts lead us … This is an act against us all.”

Obama went on to say that assault-type rifles are too easy to get in America, and that stronger Federal guns laws are needed. The President did not take any questions nor did he use the words ‘radical Islamic terrorism’ during his statement something for which he has been highly criticized about.

Clinton, Sanders and Trump have all acknowledged the shooting on social media with numerous short messages on Twitter. They all have given televised statements to news agencies and they will be debating this shooting and gun laws in the coming days.

The size of the gun problem in America is the gun problem. An estimated 5 million assault-type rifles are already in private hands across all 50 states along with another 350 to 400 million rifles, pistols and shotguns.

The ugly face of hate has again appeared. This time in the middle of the night as more than 300 people enjoyed their individual freedoms of expression that resulted in death for at least 49 innocent lives. Let there be no doubt: this mass shooting is a planned radical Islamic terrorist attack against the gay community. Is this incident foreign or domestic terror? Or is it both? This shooting is getting real political real fast.

About the author

Britt Nelson relocated to Costa Rica in 2011 from Florida, where he served as news editor for the Palatka Daily News, a newspaper owned by the New York Times Regional Newspaper Group (NYT-RNG) for 20 years.

Nelson served the NYT-RNG for 18 years in Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina and Florida as a correspondent, reporter, staff writer, senior staff writer training new reporters, copy editor, page designer, editorial writer, editorial page editor and editorial board member