John,

It’s been twelve years since a gunman walked into a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado and started shooting with an assault rifle. Twelve people were killed, and another seventy were injured.

I’m keeping the families and friends of the victims in my thoughts today. I grieve with them as they sit with the pain of what they’ve lost.

When this shooting happened, it was one of the deadliest in American history. But since then, we’ve seen unthinkable tragedies happen again and again in Uvalde, Parkland, Half Moon Bay, and more. It’s a stark reminder of how little progress we’ve made in fighting this epidemic of gun violence.

John, I believe in common-sense solutions to end the bloodshed. It’s not complicated – other nations have done it. By expanding background checks, red flag laws, and banning assault weapons, we could make serious headway here. But NRA-backed Republicans in Congress and beyond can only offer “thoughts and prayers”, not action.

When my son Jordan was taken from me by a senseless act of gun violence in 2012, I promised to fight for the future he never got to have. To fight for a world where kids can go to school, or people can go to the movie theater, without having to worry if they’ll make it out alive. No parent should ever have to go through what I did.

I’m not satisfied with where we’re at, and I won’t stop working for change. Today I’m holding the Aurora victims in my heart. They deserved better, and all of us as Americans deserve better.

With love,
Lucy