The Paw Print

By Alexa Gola, Associate News and Features Editor

On the final night of the 2024 Democratic National Convention, four citizens personally affected by gun violence joined Georgia Rep. Lucy McBath on stage. They stood together under a digital banner reading, “Freedom From Gun Violence,” one of several such banners to make an appearance. Throughout the night, Democrats worked to connect their principles and policies with a theme of protecting the freedom of everyday Americans to live the lives they choose.

Before the five survivors took the spotlight, a short video introducing Rep. McBath and the Harris campaign’s message on gun violence played. McBath’s son, Jordan Davis, was killed in a gas station shooting at age 17, prompting her activism for gun safety. 

“I saw firsthand the power of telling our stories,” said McBath, speaking live before the convention. She referred to her work with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America and Everytown for Gun Safety. “You’ve just heard mine. But there are many more to tell.”

The spotlight shifted to Abbey Clements, a second grade teacher who taught at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Her story began with a normal school day, where she greeted her principal before heading to her classroom. Normalcy turned to tragedy when Ms. Clements heard the sound of a loud crash, similar to that of “metal folding chairs falling.” It was the sound of the 154 gunshots that prompted Ms. Clements to hide in the coats with students, doing everything she could to drown out the noise and fear of the moment.

“Twenty beautiful first grade children and six of my beautiful colleagues were killed. They should still be here,” Ms. Clements said, her voice breaking as she ended her speech.

Kimberly Rubio, a parent from Texas, spoke next. Her day started in celebration. Robb Elementary, a school in Uvalde, Texas, was recognizing her 10-year-old daughter Lexi for receiving all A’s. Rubio described her daughter as having “a smile that lights up the room.” 

Nineteen children and two adults lost their lives in the shooting where Lexi was murdered by a gunman. “Parents everywhere reach for their children,” Rubio said, remembering the night when she reached out for the daughter she “would never hold again.” Members of the audience called out her daughter’s name, although what was said beyond “Lexi” was indistinguishable amid the convention’s applause. 

Melody McFadden, a South Carolinian, was the next to share her story. 

“My niece, Sandy Patrice, was twenty-two,” McFadden said, when she drove to Myrtle beach for “sun and fun and motorcycle parades.” She explained how later that day, her phone rang. McFadden learned there had been a shooting on Myrtle beach, and no one could find Sandy.

“I stayed calm. You see, my mother, Patricia Ann, had been shot and killed by an abusive partner. I stayed calm then too. I got to handling business,” she said. McFadden told the audience about how she began calling individuals and institutions, searching for her niece. “Ten years later, Sandy’s murder is still unsolved. But I’ll keep calling. And I’ll keep fighting.”

Edgar Vilchez was the final citizen to speak. He was a student in Illinois when one of his classmates was shot. 

“Instead of worrying about taking a test, I started worrying about living to take another test,” he said, describing how his worldview was upended by the experience. Vilchez explained that he learned a lot on that day, but not in the way one might expect at a school. “I learned how to run, how to hide and drop. That what happens in the news can happen to me.”

Still, the student ended his story on a hopeful note. “We can and must write a new story,” he said, a segue into Rep. McBath’s closing remarks.

“Our stories are of loss. But make no mistake. Our losses do not weaken us. They strengthen our resolve,” said McBath, echoing the Democratic Party’s promise to secure a safer future for the American people. Democratic Presidential Nominee Kamala Harris has pledged to enact several gun safety measures, including near-universal background checks and assault weapon bans. 

“Not one more!” chanted the crowd as McBath, Clements, Rubio, McFadden, and Vilchez left the stage to strong cheers. The mantra was an insistence that not one more child should find themselves endangered by a school shooting, nor one more parent made to reach for a child who is no longer with them.