I remember this pain like it was yesterday, friend.

At the age of 24, I was away from home working on my master's degree. One day, I received a call that changed my life — my family's life — forever: My dad, who had been living in Ecuador where I was born, was killed by a criminal with a gun.

My world was stopped by grief — the same sort of grief that has plagued countless Americans who have lost a loved one to gun violence. It's a pain that nobody should experience. And yet, decade after decade and mass shooting after mass shooting, Americans have endured the crisis of gun violence in our nation.

It's because gun violence is so deeply personal to me that I've worked so hard to prevent it. In Congress, I served as the vice chair of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force. After leaving Congress, I joined Gabby Giffords' advocacy group as a senior advisor and continued to fight for safer communities and an end to the gun lobby's grip on Washington.

So, as we observe Gun Violence Prevention Month, I want to make something abundantly clear: If you send me to the U.S. Senate, I will fight with everything I have to pass commonsense gun safety reform — because nobody should have to live in fear that they could be killed by a gun at home, in school, or in their community.

I have the record and experience to back that promise up, friend. It's something I take pride in and that means a lot to me personally. My opponent, Rick Scott, on the other hand, has used his power to block gun safety reform at every step of his career. He's done nothing to make our communities safer, even as firearms are the number one cause of children's death in the United States.  

Look, if you believe our U.S. Senate should be made up of public servants who will champion gun safety reform, then I'm asking you to take action during Gun Violence Prevention Month: Make a donation of $5 or more to help me defeat Rick Scott, win in Florida, and continue fighting for the gun safety reform our nation needs.

Everyone deserves to feel safe in their own community. Period. We have a long way to go in making that a reality, but I appreciate you doing your part today.

Debbie