John,

Two years ago today, my sister Carmen was murdered at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida – shot four times by a gunman in her classroom while simply attending school.

Robert Schentrup and his sister, Carmen, as children on the street they grew up on.

It’s hard to put words to the wrenching heartbreak that followed. I remember feeling an overwhelming emptiness ... part of me had been ripped away that I’ll never get back. I could only break down and sob. Carmen is gone forever, and my family and I will never be the same – all because a weapon of war got into the hands of someone who should never have had one.

No family in this country should ever have to endure the pain of losing a loved one in a horrific massacre like what happened in Parkland – and I’m working alongside Brady to make sure this never happens again.

I’ll be blunt: This isn’t work I would necessarily have chosen. I was a college freshman when I lost Carmen. But all the work I do – traveling across the country to testify for lawmakers from Colorado to Pennsylvania to the U.S. Senate, working with Brady to launch their youth-led lobby collective in Florida, and writing op-eds to bring people together to take action – I’m doing it for Carmen. I’m doing it because I don’t know how I’d carry on without trying to keep these shootings from happening again. I’m doing it because, truthfully, it’s the only way I know how to cope.

But in doing this work alongside Brady, something happened: I realized that we could take action into our own hands and fight for common-sense gun-safety legislation in Florida and across the country.

That’s why I’m personally asking you right now:

Will you give $5 today to make sure we can stop future school shootings, help survivors find hope, and ensure we honor the victims of gun violence with action?

Hope spreads quickly, John. It starts small until suddenly millions of students are marching for change. Millions are urging their lawmakers to take action. I’ve seen what we can do together: Our fight won’t stop anytime soon – and that’s why I’m asking you to join Brady today. 

Robert Schentrup