I want to share my story with you, John. Before I survived the tragedy in Las Vegas, I never thought of myself as an advocate or considered the need for gun safety reform.
Getting shot feels just like you think it would – it hurts like hell. And running for your life while an unseen gunman fires hundreds of bullets a minute into a crowd is as terrifying as you imagine it would be. Honestly, it's probably more terrifying than anything you can imagine.
But despite getting shot, despite the physical pain I feel every day and the PTSD that has affected every aspect of my life – from my work to my relationship to my ability to enjoy myself – despite all that, I am one of the lucky ones.
Because I survived. And after that deadly night in Las Vegas, 58 others did not.
I try not to, but I think about Route 91 every day, and I probably will for the rest of my life. And what gets me is that it didn't have to happen. There's no reason ordinary people should have access to the kinds of dangerous weapons used that night in Las Vegas, or in the countless other mass shootings before and after.
Our politicians continue to line their pockets with checks from the gun lobby while more and more people are shot and killed every day. It's clear that ending this epidemic falls entirely on us.
That's why I got involved with the Alliance for Gun Responsibility. They get it. And through grassroots activism and electing lawmakers who will fight for gun reform, they're doing everything they possibly can to get dangerous weapons off our streets and prevent another situation like the one I had to go through in Las Vegas.
I don't want anyone else to go through what I went through, what I'm still going through every single day. Every dollar gets us that much closer to ending the gun violence crisis in this country – so thank you for giving what you can.
Steve
