Honorable Members of Congress,
I write this with a heavy heart, burdened by the weight of our nation’s continual mass shootings. Horrific events like the Rob Elementary School massacre in Uvalde, TX – now more than a year ago –seem to have become a normal part of American life. Mass shootings in the U.S. are on record pace for 2023. Roughly every week a community in our country faces this kind of deadly violence, just the other day in Chicago. In the aftermath at Sandy Hook Elementary School, over a decade ago, the entire nation cried out for help. Instead of valuing human life with meaningful reform, you shared hollow prayers and empty condolences. You, the very people who are elected to protect us.
Your prayers didn’t stop the murderers from purchasing weapons of war, nor have they stemmed the tide of violence that continues to claim innocent lives. From Sandy Hook to Buffalo to Charleston and far too many more, lives are forever lost. It is time for you, our elected to transcend partisan politics, money, and power to keep safe those you took an oath to protect. It is time for action.
It is simply unfathomable to me that anyone would play politics with human life. For the thousands who have been silenced by mass shootings, and the 352,000+ children who have experienced gun violence in school since Columbine, we must rise above impasses and strive for a society where our children, loved ones, and fellow citizens are shielded from harm.
In the days following the tragic, yet entirely preventable, Uvalde massacre, I visited the site to pay my respects. The air was
heavy with grief, a profound pain weighed on my chest, and tears filled the eyes of everyone silently passing by. I witnessed children, some no older than six or seven, offering flowers as a token of love and respect for their fallen peers. As I sat on the ground, paralyzed with sorrow, I was once again transported to the moments when I lay on a cold, concrete floor, my own blood pooling beneath me, having been shot in the face by a white supremacist in the aftermath of 9/11. I could not comprehend the thoughts that must have consumed those little angels during these similar, terrifying moments of life and death. Did they cry out for their mothers as I did? How can those who claim to be civilized allow such barbaric and senseless killings to occur — and repeatedly? How can our elected officials, those who possess the power to halt this madness, turn a blind eye to their fellow human beings, their own children, loved ones, and even the God they proclaim to pray to when these catastrophic events occur?
Honorable members of Congress, the time for change is now. Even as a survivor of gun violence, I’m not against responsible gun ownership, but it is crucial to acknowledge that citizens of a civilized society do not require weapons of war. The responsibility lies with you to rise above partisan divides and act in the best interest of the people you were elected to serve. There is no excuse. The cries for sensible gun reform and the demand for measures that protect the lives of our children and citizens cannot be silenced any longer. We implore you to let your actions speak louder than your prayers. Demonstrate the courage and resolve necessary to enact meaningful change. Do not let the legacy of Sandy Hook, Uvalde, Buffalo, Nashville, Allen, and countless other tragedies only be inaction and empty condolences.
As someone who knows what it feels like to be on the receiving end of a bullet, I implore you to find the strength to lead with empathy, integrity, and a commitment to the welfare of all Americans, to human life.
With sincere hope,
Rais Bhuiyan, Survivor & Founder, World Without Hate
World Without Hate’s documentary Pain and Peace, in post-production, captures stories from survivors and former perpetrators of hate-fueled violence, an antidote to divisive forces and toxic messaging.
