WASHINGTON – Mass shooting survivors testified at a House Committee on Oversight and Reform hearing on gun violence on Capitol Hill in Washington.
Lawmakers heard chilling testimony from 11-year-old Miah Cerrillo, who played dead to stay alive during the mass shooting at her school in Uvalde, Texas.
“He shot my friend that was next to me and I thought he was going to come back to the room, so I grabbed a little bit of blood and, I put it all over me,” Cerillo said.
Nineteen of her classmates would not survive and two teachers were killed.
“In the reel that keeps scrolling across my memories she turns her head to me and smiles back at us to acknowledge my promise and we left. I left my daughter at that school and that decision will haunt me for the rest of my life,” said one of the victim’s mothers, Kimberly Rubio.
Lawmakers also heard from a mother whose son was shot during the massacre at grocery store in Buffalo, New York as she called on Congress to act.
“You are elected because you have been chosen and are trusted to protect us, but let me say to you here today, I do not feel protected,” Zeneta Everhart said.
House Democrats plan to bring the Protect Our Kids Act to the floor, it raises the age from 18 to 21 to buy a semi-automatic rifle, closes loopholes in background checks, and measures aimed to prevent the illegal trafficking of guns. Also up for a vote is a federal red flag law, which takes guns away from people deemed dangerous. Both are expected to pass in the House, but not in the Senate.
“Some of my colleges across the aisles have blamed the violence on mental illness. They have blamed everything but guns,” said Rep. Carolyn Maloney.
President Joe Biden said both sides need to do more on gun reform.
Democrats have set a deadline for the end of this week for a bipartisan deal.