Imagine attending a concert with your family, friends or significant other and it ending abruptly in gunfire. Fifty-nine Las Vegas tourists died Sunday night at a country concert across the street from Mandalay Bay Resort, following nine straight minutes of shooting.

I arrived in Las Vegas early Monday morning, a few hours following the deadly attack. Last month, my step-mother and I entered a drawing and won free flight tickets to Las Vegas and a several-day stay in a casino resort. I never expected to arrive in a city recovering from a massacre.

The McCarran International Airport was locked down, and arriving passengers struggled for hours to get to their hotels. The site where the shooting took place was blocked and still under investigation, so part of the city’s transit system was non-operational.

Riding to my hotel in the resort shuttle, it seemed as if I was passing through a city-wide funeral. Hotel billboards along the Strip had statements such as “Pray for Vegas” and “Las Vegas is Strong.” There was police all over the strip, as well as many emergency vehicles with their lights on.

“The Strip is always busy and crowded,” a store owner said. “The shooting disturbed tourists so badly that some canceled their reservations and left.”

Upon arriving at the hotel, all guests were asked to stand in a long line at the entrance.

“Please empty your pockets, sir,” a security staff member asked. “And when you’re ready, please open your bag to check your belongings.”

Following the attack, all hotels were enforcing strict search policies. Fears of similar attacks on open concerts from hotel rooms worried many people in the city.

“We were locked down in the resort for 16 hours until the police let us out in the morning,” a casino housekeeper said. “We heard rifle shooting for ten straight minutes and people screaming outside.”

The tragedy brought out the best of the Las Vegas community though, as crowds lined up at blood donation booths throughout the city, hoping to do their part to support the over 500 wounded victims. For three consecutive nights, Las Vegas turned into a place of horror and confusion, rather than a vacation hub.

After witnessing the tragic and devastating effects such a massacre has on a community, I can’t describe how frustrated I became when I saw a National Rifle Association representative on CNN continuing to attack discussions on gun control reforms. For decades, the NRA has prevented the imposition of common-sense gun control laws. They are indirectly responsible for the grief caused to the deceased victims’ families.

In a civilized society, safety from crime and terrorism should be a national priority. In the U.S., lobbying and greed has put arms sales profits before citizens’ lives.

If Congress passed legislation to make it just a little harder for people to stockpile an arsenal like Stephen Paddock did, 59 lives could have been saved. Citizens would not have to be concerned about their safety whenever they leave their homes.

It’s essential that we understand that in the long-run, these horrible and bloody shootings will only be stopped if our government takes a stronger stance on gun regulations. This will only happen when enough people express our objection to the corruption involved in profits and greed by the NRA and the politicians who support their rhetoric. As citizens, we have the right to safety and peace.