My heart is breaking, friend.

I am sending my thoughts to the victims, the survivors, their loved ones, and the entire Uvalde community. My heart breaks for the lives shattered by this senseless act of violence. These were babies. You can't quantify this kind of loss. It is too big, too inhumane, and too cruel to comprehend.

This level of carnage should not be normal. But in America, our children practice active shooter drills. Our seniors fear a trip to the grocery store. And parents worry that a teenager's evening stroll may be their last. It shouldn't be normal to feel unsafe at school, church, the grocery store, the park, and in our own skins.

We can't ignore that this doesn't happen anywhere else. We can't ignore that so many mass shootings are racially-motivated. And we can't ignore that lawmakers – my colleagues – would rather blame individuals instead of standing up to the gun lobby.

I've been in this fight for a long time, and I'm not giving up now.

As a Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Candidate, I will continue to fight for gun safety in Los Angeles. I will fight to protect our kids and our communities. We must respond emphatically, forcefully, and immediately to keep our neighborhoods safe.

In Congress, I helped pass legislation that will expand background checks for gun sales and close the 'Charleston loophole'. I'm with you all in demanding the Senate pass gun safety legislation.

Today, I am thinking of the brave words of youth activist Edna Chavez from Community Coalition, who said:

"I have lived in South L.A. my entire life and have lost many loved ones to gun violence. This is normal, normal to the point that I have learned to duck from bullets before I learned how to read."

No more. Not in Charleston, not in Uvalde, and certainly not in Los Angeles. As mayor, I will use every tool at my disposal to keep our city safe from gun violence. I am angry. I am standing with you in grief. And I will keep fighting.

Sincerely,

Karen