I’m a Gun Owner and Pediatrician. We Must Elect Harris-Walz on November 5.
Like most gun owners I know, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz understand that in order for our country to save lives from gun violence, we need commonsense laws.
As a retired pediatrician and a grandmother, I’m not many people’s typical idea of a gun owner.
But gun owners come from all walks of life. We’re physicians, lawyers, parents, and grandparents. People of all races, ages, and political persuasions own guns. I’m proud to be part of the contingent of responsible gun owners who keep their guns locked up and out of the hands of children.
I spent my career as a pediatrician counseling and protecting children and families from harm using tools like vaccines and car seats. Yet many states—Georgia included—don’t have strong laws requiring parents to safely store their firearms. Some even try to prevent doctors from talking about gun safety at all. And the consequences are devastating.
Gun violence has been the leading cause of death for American children and adolescents since 2020. Kids are dying by gunshots at twice the rate they were in 2013. Last year, 694 children were treated in Georgia emergency rooms for gunshot injuries, averaging nearly two incidents per day. I joined GIFFORDS Gun Owners for Harris-Walz because I believe we can and must do more to protect children from gun violence.
Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are not just gun owners, but responsible gun owners. Like most gun owners I know, they understand that in order for our country to save lives from gun violence, we need commonsense laws like background checks on all gun sales. Opponents’ claims that Harris and Walz are out to take people’s guns is nothing more than misinformation and fearmongering.
My husband and I had been gun owners for a long time when the Sandy Hook massacre happened in 2012. That changed everything for me. I knew I had to get involved in the fight for gun safety. I became passionate about advocating for the safe storage of firearms, and was trained to do it in a non-confrontational way that didn’t challenge the culture or belief systems of gun owners.
When my husband and I moved to Georgia two years ago, I was excited to engage in my advocacy work in such a vibrant, dynamic state. The conversations I’ve had with legislators on both sides of the aisle here in Georgia make me hopeful that many of them want to do the right thing. Today I’m a senior ambassador of the Georgia chapter of GIFFORDS Gun Owners for Safety and a member of Georgia Clinicians for Gun Safety and Georgia Majority for Gun Safety.
Earlier this month, I worked with GIFFORDS and other advocates in Georgia to sponsor a pistol training safety course for state legislators. We invited both Democratic and Republican lawmakers, as well as advocates who have been impacted by gun violence, including a survivor whose son was killed and a pediatric ER doctor.
During the three-hour training session, we also talked about Georgia’s lack of gun safety laws. People who had never been around guns before gained a deeper understanding of them, and we were able to find common ground on the importance of protecting children from gun violence. We can all agree that kids should be safe in their own homes, and the homes of their friends. Safes should be readily accessible to anyone who owns a gun, and using one should be both normalized and required. None of this infringes on Second Amendment rights.
We can reverse the epidemic of children dying from gun violence in the United States. And the candidate who can get this done at the federal level is not Donald Trump—it’s Kamala Harris.
Harris has taken important steps to protect America’s kids from gun violence, from overseeing the first White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention to expanding background checks and strengthening investment in community violence intervention programs. Harris will fight to close loopholes that let dangerous people access guns.
Too many kids are dying from gun violence in this country, and only one presidential candidate has a plan to stop these tragedies. That’s why I’m voting for Harris and Walz this November, and urging my fellow responsible gun owners to do the same.
ELECTIONS
GUN SAFETY PRESIDENT
Kamala Harris and Tim Walz have demonstrated their commitment to fighting gun violence again and again, making gun safety a top priority in their campaign. We’re proud to stand with them in this must-win race, and we hope you will too.
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