John,

Last week, a shooter entered Central Visual and Performing Arts High School in St. Louis, MO, with the intent to kill as many people as possible. He was armed with an assault rifle, 600 rounds of ammunition, and high-capacity magazines – the choice for mass shooters time and again.

It’s time to ban these weapons of war. Add your name to our urgent petition right now. >>

The gunman killed a student and a teacher before his gun jammed – perhaps the one thing that saved countless other lives. Because we know exactly the kind of carnage that can be caused when a tragedy like this:

22 killed in Uvalde

7 killed in Highland Park, while 48 others were injured

10 killed in Buffalo

17 killed in Parkland, while 17 more were injured

61 killed in Las Vegas

And these are only some of the tragedies that our nation has witnessed in the past years. Each and every single life that has been stolen should have been prevented – yet weapons of war, designed for mass destruction, remain on our streets. Losing someone to gun violence is incomprehensible and, as a gun violence survivor, I don't want any other person to know the sting of this kind of loss. 

“It could have been worse,” is not the response our nation should have to these heinous mass shootings. We need to ban assault weapons and stop these tragedies once and for all. Can you add your name to our urgent petition right now and demand a ban on assault weapons?

Liz Dunning

Gun Violence Survivor

Vice President, Development