ORLANDO is the home of Disneyland, so the airport is usually bustling and buzzing with excited families.
The atmosphere as I arrived on Sunday was more like a mausoleum.
A maniac with a gun will do that, unfortunately.
Before we’d even arrived at Pulse nightclub you could see the city was in agony at what the killer, I refuse to name, had done.
As I reported from the scene for Good Morning Britain and Lorraine the full extent of the attack dawned.
I interviewed a veteran police officer who told me the inside of the club was the most horrific scene he’d ever witnessed.
He and his colleagues were battling to stay professional in the face of dealing with what resembled a war zone.
Of course this was an attack on ordinary people out having fun, but it was also an attack on the gay community.
At time of writing this column there are so many more questions than answers when it comes to the killer and, in the hours and days after these events, the airwaves are filled with people trying to justify their own agenda.
To a Scot like me it seems obvious – maybe civilians shouldn’t have access to machine guns.
But I’ve realised living here in the USA that there are communities that are absolutely steeped in guns and gun culture.
A change will be very hard to achieve.
At times like this us folk standing in front of the camera used say: “We really don’t know what to say”.
It’s even sadder now that we actually do know what to say – because these sickening events seem to be coming more and more common.
It was almost lost in the news last week but Orlando was shaken by another tragedy – the murder of reality TV star Christina Grimmie.
The Voice singer was out meeting fans when she was shot by a man.
Christina was a talented young lady who was notable for having loads of time for her fans.
That was terrible, and then there were the tragic scenes at Pulse.
It’s a depressing week but what has struck me is the people of Orlando.
The ones I’ve spoken to are genuinely moved by the support from around the world.
It’s something, but I imagine it can only be cold comfort for the families who are burying their own this week.
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