Friend,

Six years ago, 17 children and faculty members were murdered in Parkland, Florida. They were taken away from their families — their futures ripped away from them — by a brutal act of gun violence.

I will never forget that day, nor will I forget meeting with the families of the students who were killed. I wanted so badly to take away their pain, lessen their grief. But that's impossible. All that you can do is listen, offer comfort however you can, hold their hands, and do everything within your power to win them the justice they deserve.

This fight is personal to me, friend — as both someone who lost her father to gun violence and as a mom. Although I cannot even begin to imagine the pain and grief that the Parkland families carry, I do know what it feels like to have your loved one ripped away from you. And I know how scary it is to be a parent these days. There are some days when just dropping off your child at school feels like the hardest, most frightening thing you could do.

Six years ago, when I was running for Congress for the first time, I made a promise to the Parkland families. I swore that I would never stop fighting for gun safety reforms until we win, until we pass the reforms that will protect other children and families from this horrible pain. That's a promise that I've fought tirelessly to keep.

One of the most meaningful moments of my time in Congress was passing a universal background check bill. We spent 11 hours fighting to get this bill out of committee. Far-right extremists pulled out every trick they had to stop this bill from advancing. It wasn't until almost midnight that we were finally able to get it across the finish line.

Even though we knew that bill would be all but doomed in Mitch McConnell's Senate, that fight mattered. It remains one of my proudest moments in public service. As I watched the activists from March for Our Lives celebrating in the House gallery, I realized for the first time the power that my vote holds — the power that all of us wield when we cast our ballots.

Today, I am holding the families of Parkland and everyone affected by senseless gun violence in my heart. And I'm recommitting myself to this fight once again. It doesn’t need to be like this. We can never give up. Not until we win. I hope you will join me.

With gratitude,

Debbie