Democrats stress gun violence prevention on convention’s final night

Caption

U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath (D-Ga.) speaks on stage during the final day of the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 22, 2024 in Chicago.

Credit: AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

CHICAGO — The final night of the Democratic National Convention Thursday included a lineup of lawmakers and others who have long advocated for gun safety and have dealt with the aftermath of gun violence in their communities.

“Our losses do not weaken us — they strengthen our resolve,” Georgia U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath from a Gwinnett County centered district, a longtime gun safety advocate, told delegates.

McBath became an advocate for gun safety after her 17-year-old son, Jordan Davis, was murdered at a Florida gas station in 2012.

Her son was shot and killed by a white man who was angry about the loud music being played by the Black teenager and his friends.

McBath’s remarks on gun violence were a leadup to the keynote address by Vice President Kamala Harris, as she not only aims to energize her Democratic base, but make her case to the American people to elect the first woman president come November.

As gun violence remains a top concern for Americans, Harris is uniquely positioned to campaign on the issue. Last year, she was tasked with overseeing the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention.

Her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, is an avid hunter but believes in banning assault weapons.

Harris is also able to campaign on a major accomplishment of the Biden administration in passing and signing into law the most comprehensive gun safety legislation in decades.

That measure, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, provided millions for states to enact so-called red flag laws and allocated billions for mental health services for youth.

McBath has been an advocate for passing the red flag laws, which allow federal courts to temporarily remove a firearm from an individual who is adjudged to pose a threat to themselves or others.

She was able to get the legislation passed in the House, when Democrats controlled that chamber.

It followed mass shootings in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas.

In Buffalo, a white supremacist targeted a Black neighborhood and killed 10 Black people in a grocery store. And in Uvalde, 19 children and two teachers were murdered, making it the second-deadliest mass shooting since the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in 2012.

There have been 353 mass shootings this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which tracks gun violence in the U.S.

McBath on the DNC stage was joined by Kimberly Mata-Rubio, whose 10-year-old daughter was killed in the Uvalde mass shooting, and a former teacher from Sandy Hook Elementary School, Abbey Clements.

“They should still be here,” Clements said of her students.

Former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords, who survived an assassination attempt when she was shot while meeting with constituents, received a standing ovation from the crowd at the United Center.

She now runs a gun safety advocacy group — the Giffords Law Center.

Giffords spoke of her life growing up in Arizona, and how it gave her “grit.”

“I fell for an astronaut,” she said of her husband, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, a former astronaut, before planting a kiss on his forehead.

She said she sees that same grit in Harris, who “is tough” and will fight against gun lobbyists.

This story comes to GPB through a reporting partnership with Georgia Recorder.