Gun control advocates share their stories at 2024 the Democratic National Convention Day 4 - PBS NewsHour

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WARNING: Descriptions of gun violence.

Advocates for gun control and violence prevention, including Georgia Rep. Lucy McBath, spoke Thursday on the final night of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, an evening focused on the future as Harris formally accepts her party’s nomination for president.

Lit by spotlights, each speaker recounted how their lives were changed from gun violence. They included a teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut; the mother of a first-grader murdered at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas; the aunt of a woman whose murder at a South Carolina beach has never been solved; and a young man who witnessed a drive-by shooting at his high school in Chicago. McBath’s son was killed by a gunman.

After the four spoke, McBath closed with a call to action.

“Our losses do not weaken us. They strengthen our resolve. We will secure safer futures that we all deserve. We will organize. We will advocate. We will run for office. And we will join with Americans from small towns and big cities to keep our communities safe,” McBath said, “And we will elect leaders like Kamala Harris who won’t just empathize but will act.” - Aired on 08/22/2024.