John,

Earlier this week, my colleague Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) made a comment claiming she was the only member of Congress to have been personally affected by gun violence as we discussed gun safety. Read her comments below. 

Rep. Luna: “I am the only member of Congress that has both survived an armed robbery, a home invasion, a gang shooting on my school campus. And I remember being a young girl and being brought to a cousin’s funeral that had been murdered, she was shot… I believe that this is a political argument from people that have not gone through [these kinds of] experiences….."

This is a bad-faith argument – full stop. I’m glad Rep. Luna survived an armed robbery. I’m glad she survived a home invasion. If anything, you’d think it would give her the political cover to embrace popular, bipartisan gun safety reforms that our movement is fighting for. 

Does Rep. Luna really think that I – and so many other Americans – haven’t “gone through these kinds of experiences” with guns, like she has? 

Personally, I wish to God every day that my son Jordan survived the shooting that took his life. 

Rep. Luna – with all due respect: You are a member of the Republican party, who currently claims that we “shouldn’t politicize gun violence.” Given that you’re also a survivor of gun violence, perhaps we’d be able to find common ground on this issue and work together if you reached across the aisle in good faith. 

As members of Congress, it’s our responsibility to keep guns out of the hands of those who shouldn’t have them. We can do better than bad-faith arguments like these. 

With love,

Lucy McBath