Good news, Americans: Miss USA has made it to the final 3 of the Miss Universe pageant! Olivia Jordan, the reigning Miss USA and Miss Oklahoma, is so close to winning the worldwide competition on her home turf in Las Vegas. During the question portion of the event, Miss USA Olivia Jordan talked about gun control in the United States. It was a heavy interview topic to take on in this day and age, but Jordan did well — and even took a side.
"This is an incredibly difficult issue and the United States is constantly battling and weighting our options," Jordan answered. "I think it's incredibly important that all individuals have the right to protect themselves and feel safe, but I also think that sometimes we need to look at safety as a whole — more than just our personal safety. So I think we need stronger regulations, specifically I think we need to pay attention." Unfortunately, Jordan ran out of time just as she was getting fired up about the subject, so she ended with "pay attention" as her last point.
I'm glad she was able to make the statement she did make, bringing more attention to a very important issue going on in America, where there have been too many mass shootings in 2015 alone. For example, earlier this month, 14 people were shot and killed in a coordinated terrorist attack in San Bernardino, California.
The Miss Universe pageant did not shy away from political questions at all during the question-and-answer portion of the evening. Miss France, a Top 5 finalist, was asked about terrorism in Paris, while Miss Philippines was asked about the possibility of reopening an American military base in her home country.
As a member of the Final 3, Miss USA also faced one more challenge — another question-and-answer segment in which she'll be judged by her fellow pageant contestants. Miss USA used that as an opportunity to show her enthusiasm for the crown and said she'd use the position as a platform to empower women.
But, will Jordan win? The competition is fierce, but she sounds like a solid choice.
