Friends,

As a parent of an elementary school student, the pain and anger I feel in the wake of the deadly, horrific shooting in Uvalde, Texas, is unbearable.

I grieve for this community, who lost 19 children and two teachers to senseless, preventable gun violence.

In the United States of America, we should not have to fear for our children's lives every time we send them to school. Students should not have to lie in wait in their classrooms, like I did growing up in a war zone. Parents should not be afraid to pick up the phone when their child’s school calls, hoping for the best but terrified that the worst has happened.

Enough is enough.

We need to pass gun safety legislation right away. We cannot let Republicans' false assertions that we need more guns in schools prevail over our message that gun reform is the only way to stop the slaughter of innocent children. House Democrats have voted time and time again to pass commonsense gun safety legislation, and we cannot allow Senate Republicans to hide behind the filibuster to stop this critical legislation.

We need to vote out politicians who refuse to take concrete action to stop the violence. We can no longer let members of Congress continue to get away with putting NRA contributions over the safety and lives of our kids. We need leaders who put people over profit every single time.

We are not helpless — we must come together to demand action and accountability during these devastating times. Our children are counting on us.

In solidarity,

Ilhan Omar