The pain of losing a parent is not something that gets easier. I heard those words bravely spoken by Jenna in the Oregon courthouse yesterday afternoon during the Measure 114 trial.
In court, Jenna stated, "I hope that by sharing my personal story today, I can help the court understand a little bit better about why this law was enacted in the first place." Gun violence is a preventable epidemic and one we can end, with your support. |
Jenna Longenecker and I had never met prior to hearing her testimony. But the pain we both experience on a daily basis from the death of our mothers is close to indescribable. There’s a bond to this grief. You wouldn’t wish it on anyone. But when you find someone who feels the level of sorrow that you feel, you can’t help but clutch on tight. Jenna was barely out of college, working her first full-time job when she heard the news that there had been a shooting at Clackamas Town Center in Oregon. She called her mom to make sure she was okay. She called her mom repeatedly over the course of that afternoon. She continued calling to check in. To look for her. That evening, officers told Jenna that her mother had been killed by an AR-15. Jenna kept saying, “Where’s my mom?” In that courtroom yesterday, my body went cold remembering how I’d said nearly the same words regarding my own mother’s death. |
Except, I didn’t have to retrieve my mother’s car from the mall parking lot or decide if I wanted her name and photo released to the public. I didn’t have a similar horror story play out just years later with my father... |
- Victoria Muzyk (she/her) |
