WASHINGTON – Kimberly Rubio, whose 10-year-old daughter Lexi was killed in Mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texaspleaded with members of Congress on Wednesday to enact new gun control legislation, using her newfound pain to demand action.
“We seek a ban on assault rifles and high-powered magazines,” said Rubio, her voice shaking after recounting the last time she saw her daughter and the moments of panic before learning that Lexi was dead. “We understand for some reason, for some people – for those with money, for those who fund political campaigns – that guns are more important than children.”
“So at this point we ask for progress.”
Rubio’s emotional plea, delivered as her husband sat quietly crying beside her, was delivered during a hearing on the stalled gun control law on Capitol Hill amid opposition from the Republican Party. peace, and as negotiators in the Senate grasp a bipartisan agreement that could break the deadlock.
Lexi’s parents were joined by Dr. Roy Guerrero, the only pediatrician in the small town of Uvalde, and a former student of Robb elementary school, who testified in tragic detail about what was The AR-15 gun used in the massacre caused the body of a 4th grade student. Testifying live on Capitol Hill, he took on lawmakers who failed to act in the face of a growing wave of gun violence in America.
“We’re bleeding,” he told the committee, “and you’re not there.”
Dr Guerrero recalls seeing two children ” whose bodies were crushed by bullets fired at them over and over again, their flesh ripped apart, so much so that the only clue to their identities was clear. is the bloody cartoon clothes still attached to them.”
Miah Cerrillo, a 4th grader who survived the massacre at Robb by covering herself in a classmate’s blood and pretending to be dead, shared her challenge in a pre-recorded video, because it was too painful to appear directly.
“He shot the friend next to me,” she said of the gunman who killed 19 students and two teachers at her school, softly and emotionally. “And I think he’ll be back in the room.”
Miah’s father, who appeared at the hearing on behalf of his daughter, left the hearing room in tears.
The emotional testimony comes hours before the House is scheduled to vote on a package of gun control measures, including legislation banning the sale of semi-automatic rifles to people under the age of 21 and banning the sale of magazines. Holds more than 10 bullets. ammunition. The bills all went nowhere in the equally divided Senate, where the firm opposition of the Republican Party meant they couldn’t draw the 60 votes needed to get through a dispute.
Democrats hope that first-person stories from eyewitnesses who are still telling the trauma of gun violence will bring the public and legislators to the attention of all those what is at stake, increasing pressure on Republicans who oppose gun control measures to do something about it.
“No civilian needs an assault rifle and the Second Amendment does not protect the right to own weapons of war,” said Representative Carolyn Maloney, Democrat of New York and chair of the committee. . “It’s time we ban assault rifles on our streets and homes.”
Zeneta Everhart, whose son Zaire was injured in a racist gun attack in Buffalo, NY, 10 days before the Uvalde tragedy, said lawmakers continued to do nothing in the face of mass shootings. mass should be voted to dismiss.
“Let me draw you a picture: My son Zaire has a hole in the right side of his neck, two holes in his back and another hole in his left leg, from a bullet exploding from an AR-15,” she said. speak. “I want you to picture that exact scenario for one of your children. This shouldn’t be your story or mine.”
But the second half of the hearing, in which lawmakers questioned expert witnesses, appeared disconnected from the scathing testimonies given by grieving parents and survivors. after the mass shooting.
Republicans in the room remained immobile in the face of testimonies and demands for action, retreating to their political corner, where they reiterated their previous gun positions.
Representative Andrew Clyde, Republican of Georgia, said: “Violent practices do not transcend a constitutional right, arguing that gun-free school zone signs are part of the problem and solution that is troubling schools. schools.
Representative James Comer of Kentucky, the panel’s top Republican, warned in an opening statement that a “knee-to-knee reaction,” such as the proposal for stronger gun laws, in the face of Gun violence is not the answer. Instead, he thinks the problem is people who are soft on crime and support shaming the police.
