John,
After my beautiful butterfly Dylan was murdered in his first-grade classroom at Sandy Hook Elementary, I spent all my waking hours working to pass background check legislation. I felt so empty, so lost – but this work gave me a purpose. I had to make sure my baby boy didn't die in vain.
When that vote failed in April 2013, it felt like another kind of death.
But I refused to give up then, and I won't give up now. The Senate has done nothing in the year since the House passed a universal background checks bill – and every day we waste, more precious lives are at risk. Just yesterday, at least five people were murdered in a mass shooting in Milwaukee.
That's why we must reach our $125,000 goal before midnight tonight to fund our all-out push to pressure the Senate to finally pass universal background checks. I refuse to let another family feel the all-consuming pain of losing a child or loved one to gun violence.
But with just 15 hours left until our deadline, we're still short. So I'm asking you from the bottom of my heart: Will you give now, before midnight, to help close the gap?
I do this work to honor my baby boy, and to create a world without tragedies like those in Milwaukee or Newtown. I don't want to be the person consoling another parent or loved one the next time a mass shooting happens. I don't want there to be a next time.
Working to pass these kinds of reforms is one crucial way we can make sure no other family ever has to know the devastation of losing a child or loved one to gun violence. So thank you for your support – and for helping me build a legacy for my beautiful butterfly Dylan.
With love,
Nicole Hockley (Dylan's mom)
