Janice R. Andrews
Gabby Giffords, the former congressman from Arizona who was almost killed in a shooting in 2011, joined other people who have been touched by gun violence at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago to talk about their scary experiences. Giffords was shot in the head during a meeting with constituents. On Thursday night, she talked about how she survived and got better, becoming a sign of strength and drive.
“I almost died, but I fought for my life and I lived,” Giffords said, and the crowd felt her words deeply. “One step at a time, I learned to walk again.” One word at a time, I learned how to talk. Giffords’ husband, Senator Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), helped her get on stage, which shows how much support she has had during her rehab.
Additionally, Giffords thanked President Joe Biden and remembered how much he helped her during her healing. “A good man from Delaware who always checked in was one of the many people who held me while I worked hard to get better.” He still does. “Thank you, Joe Biden,” she said.
Rep. Lucy McBath (D-Georgia) opened the evening with more moving stories from survivors and victims of gun violence. McBath has been a strong supporter of gun control and has used her fame to push for real change since the shooting of her son Jordan at a gas station. The way she introduced the speakers showed how serious the Democrats are about fighting gun crime, which is a big problem in Kamala Harris’s bid for president.
It was so sad that Kimberly Mata-Rubio lost her 10-year-old daughter in the Uvalde, Texas, school killing in 2022. She talked about the day her daughter died. “She has a smile that lights up the room and a St. Mary’s sweatshirt on.” Thirty minutes later, a shooter kills her, 18 of her friends, and two teachers, Mata-Rubio said with tears in her eyes.
A second-grade teacher named Abbey Clements also talked about how horrible school killings are. She lived through the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, where 26 people were killed, including 20 children. “Fear, crying, and running. “That terrible day stays with me,” Clements said, her voice shaking with emotion. “Twenty beautiful first-graders and six beautiful coworkers were killed. They need to be here still.
Edgar Vilchez talked about how the death of a high school friend by gunfire changed him for good. Vilchez said, “I learned how to run, hide, and drop because what happens in the news can happen to me.” This shows how widespread fear is caused by gun crime in the United States.
She talked about how sad it was that her 22-year-old niece Sandy was shot and killed in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. McFadden, whose mother had been killed by a gun, talked about how painful it was to learn that her niece’s murder has still not been solved. “Ten years of waiting, and Sandy’s murder is still unsolved,” she noted. “I’ll call again. “I will not give up.”
These stories told at the DNC showed how hard the fight against gun crime is in the US and how important it is to keep pushing for gun control. As the Democratic Party pushes for stricter gun laws, the stories of survivors and families of victims serve as a stark warning of how gun violence hurts people and how quickly things need to change.
