A fresh wave of young elected officials is ascending to office across the nation by leveraging their personal experience with gun violence to advocate for reforms they contend the country is ready for.
Their ascent marks a nearly decade-long transformation. Gun violence prevention has moved from a third-rail issue seldom discussed on the stump to a central platform that politicians, predominantly Democrats, are now campaigning on successfully.
A Collective Exhaustion Fuels the Change
This evolution is driven partly by a national weariness with firearms deaths, encompassing mass shootings – such as tragedies at Brown University and Bondi Beach – as well as gun-related suicides and street violence, which continue to tear apart too many families and communities.
“It’s been an issue that has directly touched me,” explained Justin Pearson. “There was something about a state representative and seeing government inaction, while recalling the impact in my community, that pushed me to say this is an issue we must address urgently.”
Ironically, the day he was sworn in was also the deadliest shooting in the state’s history, when six individuals were shot and killed at a Covenant private school.
Expulsion and a National Spotlight
Days later, he and two other state Democrats led a protest on the legislative chamber to demand stricter firearms laws. Pearson and his colleague were expelled for their action, an act that propelled them to widespread recognition. They later were reinstated.
Months later, his sibling died of a firearm suicide. This was not his first encounter with violent loss; previously, his guide and a former classmate were also fatally shot in Memphis.
Now, he is campaigning for a federal office by centering firearms safety at the core of his agenda. He highlights how it affects the state’s youth, for whom firearms injuries are the leading cause of death.
From Activism to Candidacy
The rise of candidates focusing on this issue is also a product of the growing prevention movement across the nation, which has become a recruitment channel for political newcomers.
- Maxwell Frost, the country’s first Gen Z congressmember, started off as a activist with a student-led gun-safety group.
- Lucy McBath, a Congresswoman, and Abigail Spanberger, a soon-to-be governor, were both involved with a grassroots safety organization before running for office.
- Cameron Kasky, a Parkland survivor who helped to organize student protests, has declared his own run for a House seat.
“I see myself as a small part of a bigger movement. It’s the driving force I got into politics,” said the congressman. “I was 15 when the Newtown tragedy happened and that’s what inspired me to get involved.”
A Seismic Shift in Politics
Today, challenging gun-rights lobbyists like the NRA is common among Democratic candidates. But in the recent past, many moderate Democrats held high ratings from the organization, and the topic of gun control was considered a career-ending issue.
“It was gradual and full of ups and downs,” said a prominent advocate. “We saw our volunteers seeking election and thought it was logical that someone shaping legislation would want to take the next step.”
Advocates cite the 2012 mass shooting and the subsequent failure in Washington to pass gun-safety policies as a watershed moment. This led once NRA-backed politicians to abandon their favorable scores to support limits on assault weapons. Now, having an F rating from the NRA is a point of pride.
“After Parkland, no Democratic members of Congress had an A rating and were proud about it. That’s a dramatic change,” the advocate added. “It dispelled a lot of misperceptions and anxieties about being gun safety-forward.”
From Grieving Parent to Candidate
The issue of firearms deaths has also mobilized first-time entrants to public service.
Shaundelle Brooks lost her son in a Waffle House attack in Nashville. Tragically, another son was shot and injured leaving a music venue. After repeated trips of advocating at the capitol with no response, she decided to run for office.
“Testifying for years and having them just dismiss me, made it clear that I needed to do more than what I was doing,” she said.
“Knowing you’re directly affected, they feel that you’re more credible to talk about this. They know it’s not a partisan game for us,” she stated.
‘It’s Our Turn’ to Lead
These personal experiences of loss unite advocates across the country, forming what those affected describe as a “group no one wants to join.”
“We don’t have a formal network, but we all feel compelled in this moment to be a part of the healing,” Pearson said of his colleagues. “The world is riddled with seemingly unsolvable issues. We’ve given people generations to address them. And now, with our the people behind us, the moment is ours.”
He argues that addressing this crisis also requires action on common-ground problems like mental health access and economic stability, which might find more traction even in conservative legislatures. This broader view shows that being committed to ending firearms tragedies isn’t just about restrictions, but also about addressing the root causes.
“We’re not one-dimensional politicians,” he emphasized. “We understand the connected nature of the problems. It’s not just shootings. It’s poverty, pollution, deprived communities – these are the places with the highest levels of violence. We need leaders who have experienced that pain.”
In the end, the candidate contends a lack of movement at the federal level on policies like red flag laws and waiting periods has deadly outcomes.
“Due to this stagnation, people are dying,” he stated firmly. “This problem isn’t going to be solved by doing what we’ve done in the past.”
