Friend,
This weekend marks six years since 26 people were murdered at a Sunday church service in Sutherland Springs, TX, and next week marks five years since 12 people were murdered at the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks, CA. It’s weighing heavy on my mind right now because I too closely understand the insurmountable pain that comes when you lose a loved one to gun violence.
My name is Robert Schentrup and my sister, Carmen Schentrup, was shot and killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL, in 2018.
While these shootings happened in different states at different times, they all have something in common: The gunmen who carried out the attacks utilized large-capacity magazines to increase the lethality of their attacks.
The Sutherland Springs gunman was armed with a semi-automatic rifle and two 30-round large-capacity magazines. The Thousand Oaks gunman was armed with a semi-automatic pistol and seven large-capacity magazines. Most recently, in Lewiston, ME, the gunman was armed with an assault-style rifle and 20-round magazines. And in Parkland, the gunman was armed with a 10-round large-capacity magazine.
As a survivor of gun violence, I’m here to tell you this: No civilian should have access to these weapons of war. It’s clear that large-capacity magazines are specifically chosen by mass shooters for one reason, and one reason only: their ability to kill as many people, as quickly as possible.
And that’s why I’m reaching out to you today, friend. I can’t bring my sister Carmen back, and countless other communities will never be the same. But we can ban large-capacity magazines and assault weapons to prevent any more loss of life. Please join me in urging Congress to ban large-capacity magazines and assault-style weapons, once and for all.
