colwmbine high school on april 20th, 1999. two weeks before that, he asked me at the dinner table, innocently, dad, did yo] know there were loopholes in the brady bill? then he was shot with a gun that was purchased at a gun show through one of those loopholes. txat motivated me into action. i led the fight in colorado to close that gun show loozhole. when the legislature failed to close itwe uook it to a vote of the people. we closed it with the votg of 70% to 30%. [ applause ] the people clearly,(cleirly spoke up. and now i'm speaking up again. on may 1st,$i'll be releasing a bo about my colwmfine experiences, and it's called "walking in daniel'shoes," named because during those days when m was advocating, as today, i wore these shoes.

these are the shoes my son wore, hu waw wearing on april 20th, 1999. i do it to honor him just as these folos$here are doing what they're doing to honor their children. there is no reason wshould have to ask our leaders to pass legislation that's common sense like closing the gun show loophole. when you can pass it with the vote of 70% conservative western state, we need our leaders to lead. we shouldn't have toto the ballot each time. we're asking for the people here, our leaders, to listen to what the people are asking for. thank you. >> brian miller. >> hello, i'm brian miller.

this is my niece, dale miller. she lost her father. i lost my brother in a massacre that occurred just on the other side of the hill here at the district building in november 1994 when a man came into washington, d.c., police headquavters, which is a place i would say if you were intent on mayhem, you would avoid. but he walked innd went up to the second floor and opened a door and started fiving. and when the firing was done, mike was dead. fbi special agent(mikm miller and two of his colleagues were dead as well. and since that day, our family has been involved as much as we can in trying to make sure the same thing doesn't happen to other people. mike was killed with a gun that was illegally sold in kentucky and then illegally trafficked to washington, d.c. this sort of thing happens every day in every state, in every city.

and$it's something that makes no sense. yet this congress protects the gun industry from top to bottom that allows that to happen. now, dale lives in maryland currently, and i live in new jersey. both states have strong gun laws. neither state allows people to get guns and carry them loaded and concealed the way that george zimmerman did. why shouldn't the people of our states be able to make that choice rather than this congress trying to make the choice for them? it's unconscionable and it shouldn't happen. and we're here to do what we can to make sure it doesn't happen. but everybody in this country can help keep that from happening if you pay attention to where your legislator stands on this issue, research it. and when it comes time that

there's an election, make your voices heard. and if they voted the wrong way on this, vote them out. thank"you. >> just in terms of what the american public can!do to hold their leaders accountable, they can go online to our site, bradycampaign.org, and sign our petition that demands that our statement ofrinciple, and they can!look if their elected ads do not sign a stement of principle saying that they don't!feelhat convicted felons should be able to buy a gun anywhere in our country, then vote them the heck out of office. annette nance holt. >> my name is annette naps holt. my life was forever changed on may 10th of 2007. you see, my son, an only child, blair holt, was murdered when he boarded a bus after leaving julian high school on chicago's south side. the bus was loaded to capacity

with students and other riders. a teenager boarded the bus and started shooting. he was trying to shoot an opposing gang member, but he shot five innocent teenagers. my son was fatally wounded. the surviving teenagers are left with horrifying memories of being shot as well as lifelong physical and emotional issues. i am left without my beloved son and a lifetime of missing wonderful memories. let me tell you a little bit about who blair was. he was a typical 16-year-old who loved his family, was very intelligent, handsome and gifted. he was a type of child that inspired his fellow classmates in grammar school and high school. his teachers loved him and wished they had more students like him. he wanted to be successful in life, and he made plans to succeed. his father and i did our best to instill in him values. we tried our best to protect him. but our best efforts could not shield him from the bullet that took his life on that bus. you see, blair was in the right place at the right time and doing all the right things.

but along comes a teenager with an illegal gun sold on the streets of chicago. how could a teenager get his hands on such a dangerous weapon? there has to be a way to keep this from happening to other families. there are countless victims who have suffered the same fate because no one has figured out how to stop illegal guns in our communities. if only there were laws that were in order, my son would be getting ready to graduate from college now. but i guess i will never get to see that. i would just hope that the legislators would look at all of us here today and understand, this can be you. i'm a firefighter whose dad is a police officer, and we could not protect our child from the streets of chicago. he was raised the right way. do something, make a difference. because it can be you, too. believe me. >> jeanette richardson.

>> good afternoon. my name is jeanette richardson, and i'm here because my college student being shot to death right in front of my home that i still live at in an upper middle-class neighborhood in newport news, virginia, murdered on new year's eve by a high school dropout with an illegal weapon. when we asked whether, you know, what he was going to get for the stolen weapons charge, we were quietly told that there would be no illegal weapons charge. because of the gun show loophole and because of the ease that we have of getting guns. any kid can get a gun, they say. the children tell me that, that i work with. i've just finished working as an americorps with at-risk middle schoolers, and that's what they tell me. he was a high school dropout. he was looking for another way to live.

so i'm here because, you know, tech would have been the senior year my son would have graduated from college. he was at the ringling school of art and design as a freshman, just visiting home. and i think that was the first time in the whole time that he was gone where i was so glad he was not there to see that because we had so many friends and loved ones at tech. and(i(am a virg this to end. we've got to get some legal -- some very serious regular laws. we're not taking guns from anybody who needs them or wants them. the people who don't deserve them, the felons, abusers, that's what we're here to do. that is all. thank you. >> geraldine rodriguez.

>> my son's murderer was never charged. 15 years ago in tampa, florida, on december 19th, 1996, a few days before the christmas holidays, my 17-year-old unarmed son, michael rodriguez, was murdered by a man carrying a concealed handgun. he committed a murder, but he was never charged. my son, michael, approached an unmarked car in a south tampa neighborhood and was shot by a domino's pizza delivery driver. his name was clifford jordan. he had a gun in his car which he purchased at a pawn shop in tampa.

he had the gun in his car against the domino's policy. jordan was also behind the wheel of a running vehicle. he chose to shoot instead of driving off. my son was unarmed. all he wanted was directions. clifford jordan fired and killed michael within five seconds after our son approached the r. my son, once again, was 17, unarmed, sober, and had no criminal record. it was the same kind of fear and hate-filled tragedy that we see in the trayvon martin murder in sanford, florida.

if clifford jordan had not had a gun, my son could not have been killed. the so-called self-defense charge prevailed. 15 years after my 17-year-old son's murder, i continue to fight this travesty of justice. the tampa police department accepted jordan's story even though testimony clearly revealed that jordan shot immediately and then placed his own gun in our dead son's hand to convince bystanders that our son was armed.

in the police report, my son was described as a cuban thug from new york. my husband and i were born and raised in tampa, florida. but we live in new york city. we and our children travel to tampa regularly to visit our relatives. michael was born and raised in princeton, new jersey. after our son's funeral, we visited karen cox of the florida state attorney's office to request a reopening of the investigation. we wanted the truth to come out for many reasons. the haste and rush in which a self-defense excuse had been accepted by the tampa police. the lies and inconsistencies in

jordan's testimony, and new evidence that had been brought forth. karen cox flatly denied our plea. clifford jordan was never charged. even the domino pizza corporation who claims to have regulations prohibiting its drivers from carrying firearms washed its hands of the killings saying they could not control the actions of their franchises. this seems to indicate to us that they do not enforce or take their own rules regarding firearms seriously. for 15 years, the pain of losing our son to a senseless murder has not been resolved.

from the legal standpoint, we've done all we can to seek justice in this terrible tragedy. my heartfelt sympathy goes out to the faoiny"of trayvon martin. i respt their courage. like my son, michael, trayvon martin was an innocent victim of ethnic profiling, the axand dangerous floda mindset that fosters easy and available guns. and a law that has become a license to kill. to our administration and our legislators, i say, never again. >> omar samaha.

>> thank you all for being here today. my sister, rema, was an 18-year-old freshman, straight-a student, double major, member of the contemporary dance ensemble, active in many clubs and college activities. like all of those killed on april 16th, she was so full of promise and had such a bright future. does she sound like she fits the profile of someone who would be murdered by an illegal gun? the truth is, there is no standard profile. gun violence affects all americans from all walks of life. in fact, 32 americans are murdered every day with guns. over the past five years, i've been working to prevent gun violence. i've had the opportunity to travel across america from city to city, town to town, meeting with victims, survivors, law enforcement, mayors, legislators, doctors, sportsmen,

even nra members about gun violence and our broken back ground check system in particular. in pennsylvania, i met a family whose 18-month-ole son was killed while sitting in a car seau as his dad filled up the tank at a gas station. i spoke!with a mother in chicago whose honors student didn't come home from school because he shielded a griend from a bullet on a city bus. i met americans from all walks of life, mothers, fathezs, sisters, jrothers, aunts, uncles, there0is no(one(immune to oun íiolence in america. i think a girl nrom(minneipolis who(losé her chillhood friend(to gun violence said it rest when she said, it's not about good kids. it's íot about bad kils. it's íot about race or class. thi[ is a real xroblem. gun violencm isn't an urban issue. it's a naéionwide issue. after rema was killmd, i óent undercover with "20?20" to a gun shoó in(richmond, viroinia, to see just xow uasy0it is(to juy a gun without a background check. i bought ten guns in under an hour, no questions asked, no i.d. [hown.

it was as easy as going to a coníenience store and buying a bag of chip[ or a candy bar. and we are alloóing(anyone to do txat. felons, domestic abusurs, those atjudicated mentaély ill and eveí potential terrorisés. i have seen overwhelming suppórt from everyday citizens to enact reasonable measures and(enforce exi[tino laws that will help prevent gun violence. to nix óuz íaéional database and require background checks are simple stups,0but they are stups that will help . seven out of ten nri members, nuarly eight óué of ten gun ownurs and neirly(ninm oué of ten americans support this. i'm doing(this so thaé others will not haven@o gohugh the same pain, loss and sufvering txaé my family and so many other families xave0expmriencmd. 32 families go through what we have gone(through and still(go through every day. when i was in(iowa city, i was

able to meet an administrator who was there0during the shootings in 9991 nearly 20 yuars ago. she(shared a quote with me describing gun íiolence. and it was as if the tragedy had just occurred. she said,$it'w like dropping an enovmouw meteor into e laoe. it creates waves that ripple for aúlong time and change uhe shape of the shore. eventuamly, theúsurface of the waters smoothúagain, but undgrneath,úeverything is changedúforeverl and the people who were swamped by the waves areúneverútheúsame. forúthe past five years, many of us affected on cpril 16thúand gun violence across this country have wosked!tirelessly to prevent it from#occwrring"to others. we have implored the help of congrgss only to beúshut ouu and ignored as 32!more americans are murderef with guns every day, and mass shoovings jave become normal. i have ceen saddened ane whocked

to see an apathetic!congrgss sit idly by even as gun violence struck one of their own in tucson. y we are calling on our congressional members to join us, a voice of moderation, asking for the enforcement of existing laws, laws that respect second amendment rights and help keep us safe from gun violence. please join us now on the fifth anniversary of april 16th to help us put an end to the tragic toll that gun violence is causing our country. please sign this statement of principle. thank you. >> for the folks who haven't spoken yet, unfortunately i think we're going to need to keep it a little short just because we have some very important meetings to get to. but we do want everybody to be able to share their stories. kim segale. did i pronounce it rig? >> no. >> i'm sorry.

>> kim segale. and this is my son, patrick. and every day i wear this necklace. it has his fingerprint on it. on july 24, 2010, my 23-year-old son, patrick nunnely, was shot point blank in the left eye with a .22 caliber pistol. at 6:58 p.m. on the 24th, patrick was declared brain dead. the person that murdered my son was a convicted child sex offender. who should never have had a gun. he had already shown that he had no regards for the laws that he had already violated his parole once and was sent back to prison. i have never been a proponent of guns. however, i've always respected people's rights to own a gun lawfully and after completing a handgun licensing course. prior to patrick's murder, i wasn't aware of the various ways a convicted lon could get a gun. now, unfortunately, i'm more knowledgeable and have a strong

desire to close the loopholes so another mom doesn't have to bury her only son. a third of me died that day. july 24th, 2010. patrick. >> thank you, kim segale. josh stepakoff. >> on august 10th, 1999, a neo-nazi armed with an automatic weapon in grenada hills, a suburb of los angeles. i was only a few feet away from him when he unleashed a barrage of 70 rounds, shooting me and four other people and terrorizing dozens of small children. i was only 6 years old. i got hit twice, one bullet breaking my leg, and the other narrowly missing my spine. many people remember the gripping images of that day of innocent preschoolers being walked across the street in grenada hills with armed s.w.a.t. officers.

a short time later, the gunman who shot me traveled to california and shot a filipino american mailman. thg]nman was i hate-filled white supremacist who was intent on killing jews. he had a history of mental illness and a violence -- and violent behavior. yet he had an arsenal of weapons and ammunition in his possession, and he had weapons that were purchased without a background check. so many lives were altered that day because onur inadequate regulations. a comprehensive background ghm system could have prevented a dangerous person like him from obtaining lethal and dangerous weapons. almost 300 people are killed or injured by guns every single day. that's more than 1 million people in the ten-plus years since i got shot. nothing has been done about this issue. and i am here to call(on our nation's leaders to help us move towards safer communities. thank you.

>> thanks, josh. carolyn tuft. >> hi, my name is carolyn tuft. five years ago, my family's life was shattered. a teenager walked into a salt lake city gun shop and purchased a gun and walked out with the gun that he never should have owned. he was too young to legally buy this gun, but the pawn shop sold it to him anyway. he used that gun to open fire on a crowded salt lake city mall. he shot me three times with the pistol grip shotn andúkilled five people including my young vibrant 15-year-old daughter. it's been five years, but yet for me, every day is filled with the pain that lingers from that terrible moment. i suffer daily with chronic severe pain and sickness from the permanent lead poisoning. from the hundreds of lead pellets that has pelted my

kidney, lung, spine and stomach. before i was shot, i was a cyclist. i rode 20 to 50 miles a day weather permitting. i rode bikes with my daughters as a healthy activity. we hiked, biked, climbed rocks and ran regularly. i was a fantastic cook that cooked for all the tarms that congre congregated at our house. we were a very close family. physically active and were also out recreating and laughing together. now i struggle every day just to get out of bed. from the lead poisoning and sickness. i don't cook anymore because of the nausea. i think about my bike every day, but i rarely summon up enough energy to actually ride it. my kids have all moved away. from dealing with the confusion and heartache from what happened that day. kirsten was our glue. the baby of the family. whom everyone loved. not only just our family but

everybody she met. she was sunshine, silliness and happiness. she had a laugh that enveloped you into laughing with her. there isn't a day that goes by that she isn't with me, i don't think about her constantly. she's missed so many milestones of her own and of our family. but the gun shop that sold that gun, they're still in business. they got to even keep the profit from that gun. is this life worth the few dollars of profit that that gun shop sold? excuse me. why are our gun laws so weak that dangerous people can so easily obtain guns? captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2008 captioning performed by vitac