John,

This week, an active shooter killed at least 18 people and injured dozens more at a bowling alley and bar in Lewiston, Maine. I’m praying for the families and survivors in this devastating time. My heart is hurting for the entire community.

It’s impossible to comprehend the feeling of losing a loved one to gun violence until it happens to you. Nothing compares to getting a phone call informing you that a family member is a victim of a senseless act of terror. When my son Jordan was shot and killed at a gas station 11 years ago, my life changed forever.

John, when will we say enough is enough? When will we – as a nation – finally decide that we shouldn’t live in fear of being gunned down by a stranger, for no other reason than being in the wrong place at the wrong time?

We’re already on pace for a record number of mass shootings in 2023, but this tragedy in Lewiston is the deadliest so far. Eighteen lives were extinguished by one man with a high-powered assault weapon.

I’m sad, I’m hurting, and I’m also angry. I’m angry at Republican politicians – and the gun lobbies that write them checks – for continually blocking any and all attempts to stop this epidemic of gun violence.

Their refusal to take action is resulting in our neighbors, our friends, and our family members being shot and killed. As long as it’s this easy to acquire a gun in America, people will continue to die.

We need to pass comprehensive gun safety legislation. I’ve made this my life’s work, and it’s taken me all the way to the halls of Congress. These tragedies are preventable, and I won’t stop until these headlines become a thing of the past.

To the friends and family of the victims in Lewiston: my heart is with you.

Thanks for reading,

Lucy