Thank you, Sen. Roy Blunt, for finally doing something about the gun violence scourge

A streaming flow of heartbreak from senseless gun violence is a pain I know all too well. Almost eight years ago in August 2014, my baby brother Jamond was shot and killed by a friend who laid hands on an unsecured gun and was playing with it. Jamond was a prankster, always laughing no matter what was going on. He was just 18 years old, a week away from leaving for college with his whole life ahead of him when he was killed. I thought losing my baby brother would be the worst pain I would experience in my life, until just a little over two years later, my heart shattered again.

My oldest son, Christopher Jr., was driving and got lost as he made his way off the highway onto the streets of Kansas City on May 25, 2017. Christopher was driving slowly, and was still getting used to the area when an enraged driver with a gun shot and killed him in traffic. He was only 19 years old. He called me as he was driving, just four minutes before his life was stolen, and I remember telling him, “see you soon.” Those were the last words I spoke to my son.

Christopher had the softest, kindest and most generous spirit. Last month marked five years since he was killed, and the pain and heartbreak of losing my child and my brother feel just as fresh as the day they were taken from me. I will never get to see my brother and son graduate from college or get married, and I can’t count the tears I have shed wondering how this tragedy could have happened to my family twice. We will never be the same, but I know we are not the only ones whose lives have changed forever because of gun violence.

I know the same heartbreak and pain that parents and families of the 19 children and two educators who were shot and killed in Uvalde, Texas, are feeling. I know the grief that families and loved ones of the 10 people fatally shot at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York, are feeling when they think of the time with their loved ones that was stolen from them. I live with it every day.

In the wake of what feels like constant gun violence, our communities are loud and clear about the fact that they’re feeling how I do every day: angry and ready for change. Thousands of people here in Missouri and across the nation have raised their voices and told our lawmakers: Don’t look away from our country’s gun violence crisis. And after hearing recent news about a Senate framework to address gun violence, we know they’re hearing us.

I’m grateful and proud that Sen. Roy Blunt is part of the bipartisan group of 20 senators who finally reached agreement on a framework to take action on gun violence. There’s no question that enhancing background checks for purchasers under 21, provide federal funding to implement and incentivize state red flag laws, and address the dating partner loophole — among other measures included in the framework — will save lives. But this historic action cannot just stop here, it must be passed by Congress and signed into law.

No one should have to endure the lifelong journey of grief that comes when someone you love is shot and killed. I know that nothing will bring my son or my brother back, but with this Senate framework, our federal leaders are finally putting something in place to save the next person’s loved one from being shot and killed.

I refuse to let our country’s gun violence crisis continue. This time is different. Like so many other survivors, this fight is personal for me. It’s personal to every community, and every person, because gun violence touches all of us. That’s why I encourage you to join me in thanking Sen. Blunt and urging him to make passing this framework into law his main priority.

This story was originally published June 23, 2022 at 5:00 AM.