Friend–

Two years ago today, my town of Uvalde, Texas was changed forever.

Nineteen children and two of my fellow teachers at Robb Elementary School were killed by an 18-year-old gunman armed with an assault rifle. I was shot twice—once in my arm and once in my back—and then left to wait for help while all 11 students in my classroom died.

Twenty-one members of our tight-knit community were taken away from us in an instant. Twenty-one people with futures, dreams, and people who loved them. The loss is immeasurable.

Those of us who survived are confronted with grief, pain, rage, and bewilderment every single day. Questions rattle around in my head: How could this have happened? Could we have done something differently?

And will our lawmakers allow it to happen again?

The gunman at my school never should have had access to such a deadly weapon in the first place. That's why I'm calling on Congress to prevent future tragedies by banning assault weapons.

I wish we could turn back time, that we could bring back the students and colleagues we lost that day.

But we can't.

So I'm committed to making sure they're never forgotten and to honor them by advocating for change, especially in an already disproportionately impacted community.

Assault weapons like the one used at my school are exceptionally deadly and designed for use on the battlefield. There's no reason why anyone should be able to access these weapons of war—and Congress has the responsibility to do something about it.

Join me in honoring my students and the other victims with action by urging your lawmakers to ban assault weapons.

Every day, our lawmakers' inaction is a choice. Together, we can make sure they know their constituents deserve a different choice: one that prioritizes our lives and puts an end to this senseless violence.

Thank you for taking action,

Arnulfo Reyes