As the subject of gun violence takes center stage on Capitol Hill, victims from the recent mass shootings shared emotional testimonies about what they witnessed.
Many of those personally affected by the recent tragedies called on Congress to take action. House Democrats hope Wednesday’s testimonies will lead their GOP colleagues toward supporting gun reform so change can happen.
“I left my daughter at that school and that decision will haunt me the rest of my life,” testified Kimberly Rubio, whose daughter Lexi died in her classroom at Robb Elementary School.
Rubio called on Congress to ban assault rifles, raise the purchase age to 21, and implement red flag laws.
“Somewhere out there, there is a mom listening, thinking I can’t even imagine her pain not knowing that our reality will be one day be hers unless we act now,” continued Rubio.
Eleven-year-old Miah Cerrillo gave a firsthand account via a pre-recorded video of what happened inside her classroom and how she managed to stay alive.
“He shot my friend that was next to me, I thought he was going to come back to the room so I grabbed the blood and put it all over me,” recalled Cerrillo.
Cerrillo told Congress she wants security and that she does not feel safe at school.
“I don’t want it to happen again,” said Cerrillo.
Zennetta Everhart testified to what it’s like cleaning her son’s bullet wounds each night after he survived multiple gunshots in the Buffalo supermarket.
“Let me say to you here today I do not feel protected,” said Everhart. “No citizen needs an AR-15. These weapons are designed to do the most harm in the least amount of time. And on Saturday, May 14th, it took a domestic terrorist just 2 minutes to shoot and kill 10 people and injure three others.”
Not all victims at the hearing believe the answer is legislation.
“Ten more laws, 20 more laws, a thousand more won’t make what is already illegal more wrong or stop criminals from committing these crimes,” testified Lucretia Hughes, who lost her son in 2019. “Y’all are delusional if you think it’s going to keep us safe.”
“The laws being discussed are already implemented in cities across this country. We have decades of evidence proving they do not work. St. Louis, New York, Chicago, Washington, Atlanta, are gun control utopias and they are plagued with the most violence,” continued Hughes. “Gun owners are not the enemies and these gun control policies are not the solution.”
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) acknowledges some changes should be made and hopes to get a bipartisan bill passed in the Senate.
“I think a focus on mental health and criminal background history is probably going to be the most productive,” said Cornyn.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), who’s working with Cornyn, says the Senate needs to act now.
“We are this week, extending a hand of partnership to our Republican colleagues, but we are not going to settle for a piece of legislation that just checks the box,” declared Murphy.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer hopes to pass bipartisan gun reform legislation soon, but only if they believe what’s included will have an impact and save lives.
***Please sign up for CBN Newsletters and download the CBN News app to ensure you keep receiving the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***
The remainder of this article is available in its entirety at CBN
