Friend,

It’s impossible to describe just how special my son Jerry really was. He would do anything for his friends and loved ones. He always went the extra mile, and he never expected anything in return. Every morning and every night, he would call me and his father. We couldn't have asked for a better son.

On June 12, 2016, my world changed. My husband, Fred, woke me up and said, "There's a shooting in Orlando." I said, "Jerry?" Fred said, "Don't worry, he was going to work late.” But I still texted Jerry. When I didn't get a text back, I started calling him. He was already dead.

Jerry was shot five times by an assault weapon at Orlando’s Pulse nightclub. I can't stop thinking about him dying alone without me there to hold his hand. I keep wondering and worrying, "What were those last minutes like? Was he scared? Was he cold? Was he hurt?"

Since a mass shooter took 49 lives at Pulse, thousands of Americans have died from gun violence. The statistics and the heart-wrenching stories are overwhelming. No parent should ever have to bury a child. No couple should have a joint funeral instead of a wedding. And no woman should survive cancer twice only to be shot and killed during a night of dancing.

We know what we have to do to prevent these tragedies: We need to ban the weapons of war that killed my son and so many others. President Biden has already proposed sensible gun reform – including an assault weapons ban for civilians – but the NRA is doing everything in its power to block the proposal, so I need your help today:

To prevent the next mass shooting, I'm working with Ban Assault Weapons NOW to raise $15,000 by our mid-month deadline at midnight tonight. We're still falling way short of our goal, so we're counting on you to donate now: Friend, will you donate $5 before midnight tonight to help us finally ban the kind of assault weapon that made it possible for a lone gunman to kill my son and 48 other people in Orlando? Every dollar fuels our lifesaving mission. 

Thank you for working toward a future where we can exist in peace and without fear. Together, I know that we can save lives from gun violence.

María José Wright

Mother of Jerry Wright
Committee Member of Ban Assault Weapons NOW