Photo credit: Atlanta Journal-Constitution

John, I spent this morning at the Georgia State Capitol building gathering with state lawmakers to hold a memorial for the victims of the tragic Atlanta Spa shootings. You can watch my speech from this morning by clicking here. 

Today, we mourn the tragic loss of eight of our neighbors who should still be with us today. Two years ago on March 16th, 2021 – a gunman motivated by anti-Asian hate and bigotry killed eight people at three metro Atlanta massage businesses. Six women of Asian descent were among the eight people killed.

I know what a day like today feels like for the families and friends affected by this tragedy. My own son Jordan was killed by a stranger in a racially motivated shooting. He’s been gone for over a decade, but not a day goes by that I don’t miss his smile or his laugh.

Over the last few years, we’ve seen a rise in mass shootings around the country committed by hate-motivated perpetrators. 

We cannot make it so easy for those motivated by hate and bigotry to have unfettered access to weapons of war. We are making progress on gun violence prevention here in Georgia and in Washington D.C. Just this week, President Biden signed an executive order to establish stronger common-sense gun safety reforms nationwide.

And as President Biden said, we need to continually build on the work of our bill – the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act – that we passed last year in Congress. I am in full agreement with POTUS that we must continue to fight for an assault weapons ban, universal background checks, and to eliminate gun manufacturer immunity from liability. 

On behalf of the families who lost their loved ones two years ago today in Atlanta, and on behalf of all survivors of gun violence, I want you to know that I am working every day to lead the fight in Congress for stronger gun safety reforms. A large percentage of Georgians and Americans support the policies we are proposing, and only the NRA (and my Republican colleagues cashing their checks) are standing in our way. 

To every survivor of gun violence out there reading this: I want you to know that your willingness to share your stories is very powerful. You are honoring the memory and the legacy of your loved ones in your advocacy. Thank you for your courage, and thank you for being a voice for our gun safety movement. 

With love,

Lucy McBath