GRAND Magazine - Spring 2024 - 29

gun safety
I watched in fear and horror as the crowd
began running for their lives, and I realized
another tragic mass shooting was about to
be added to the long list of those that came
before. Some would say we were lucky as
there was just one fatality - a 44-year-old
mother of two, a beloved member of the
Hispanic community in our city. It was not
so lucky for her family and loved ones.
Twenty-two people were shot, including
twelve children. They, along with countless
others who witnessed the shootings and
many others who ran for their lives, will
remember the trauma and face lives forever
changed. Their community is not the same;
they have lost freedom.
" Why is it now normal for people to bring
an assault-style weapon to a celebratory
rally? "
In addition to being heartbroken, I am
angry. " It couldn't happen here, " I thought.
But it did. It happened here because lax gun
laws in our state make it easy to get access
to a gun. Yet astonishingly, state lawmakers
immediately offered up new lax laws,
based on their mantra of " A good guy with
a gun... " can solve everything. But there
were 800 " good guys " from various police
29 GRAND SPRING 2024
departments in the area, and they could
not stop two people from arguing, and
then wildly shooting at each other and the
crowd.
And so, we must ask why?
Why is it now normal for people to bring
an assault-style weapon to a celebratory
rally? Why do people believe the only way
to solve a dispute is with a gun? WHY are
we told repeatedly that guns make us safer,
though they do not?
And then we ask, when?
When will the rights of non-gun owners
and responsible gun owners be recognized?
When will our grandchildren feel safe at
school, and no longer experience active
shooter drills? When we will all feel safe at
an outdoor rally or concert? When will we
have common-ground gun laws that recognize
that everyone who lives in this country
deserves the right to feel safe from gun
violence?
It will happen When we speak up and
make, we make voices heard on behalf of
our grandchildren and all children. We must
insist our elected officials heed the majority
of Americans who support gun reform
that requires universal background checks,
" red flag " laws, and safe storage bills so that
access to firearms is limited to those who
have demonstrated they have the right to
own a firearm.
That is what motivated Donna Wald and
I to co-found Grandparents Uniting for
Gun Safety, a digital network for individuals
of all ages, across the country who
want to advocate for gun violence prevention
and gun safety legislation. By speaking
together through this network, we amplify
our voices to make a major impact. We are
the largest voting bloc in the country, and
our message to elected officials and candidates
is that we Vote for Gun Safety.
Please visit our website here and sign
up to add your voice to ours!
Judy Sherry is co-founder
of Grandparents Uniting for Gun Safety

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GRAND Magazine - Spring 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of GRAND Magazine - Spring 2024