. >>> ashley beesly ran for her life with her 6-year-old son as a gunman opened fire on her hometownh of july parade. now she's pushing lawmakers to ban assault weapons, as executives of the biggest gun manufacturers are grilled by members of congress. here's abc's alex perez. >> reporter: ashley beesly is a mom on a mission, tired of watching congress just debate about gun rights. >> we have to do something. we have to do something. i think you can admit that with the mass shootings, we have to do something about the mass shootings. >> reporter: now this mom is in washington, d.c. taking her case straight to lawmakers. >> thank you so much for your time. >> you're a busy mom. why have you taken this on? >> people should be allowed to live without fear. reasonable fear. the idea that we as a country cannot go to a mall without the idea creeping in the back of our heads that someone could shoot us is unacceptable. that we are scared to send our children to school with fear that they won't come home is unacceptable. >> reporter: ashby knows what that fear feels like. she brought her 6-