The Democratic National Convention gave space to the topic of gun violence Wednesday night in an emotional segment featuring survivors and family members affected by mass shootings across the US.
One of them was a mother who lost her son in the Orlando LGBT nightclub massacre that left 49 people dead.
Two survivors of the Charleston church shooting spoke, as did a woman who stood for her mother, who was killed at Sandy Hook Elementary.
Former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who survived an assassination attempt in 2011, also spoke — lambasting gun lobbyists and declaring her support for Democratic presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton.
Here’s a closer look at what they said:
Christine Leinonen
Watch the emotional plea the mother of an Orlando victim made for gun controlhttps://t.co/MyWx9lFgTw
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“It takes about five minutes for a church bell to ring 49 times … The weapon that murdered my son fires 30 rounds in one minute … One minute for a gun to fire so many shots, five minutes per bell to honor so many lives,” Christine Leinonen said. She is the mother of Christopher Leinonen, one of the 49 people killed in the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando in May. It has been called the deadliest mass shooting in US history.
Leinonen recalled when her son was born, at a time when she was a Michigan state trooper, and how she had to put her gun away as she prepared to give birth.
“I didn’t argue. I know common sense gun policies save lives,” Leinonen said. “I’m glad common sense gun policy was in place when Christopher was born, but where was that common sense the day he died?”