Democratic leaders and parents gathered in Minneapolis on Thursday to renew calls to ban assault rifles.
They echoed frustration over more innocent children losing their lives.
Journalist Justin Agrelo says it is essential to present arguments using facts and data to demonstrate that these attacks shouldn’t be a normal occurrence.
But in a past project interviewing gun-violence survivors in Chicago, Agrelo says he learned more about the human aspect following a tragedy.
“When someone experiences gun violence, it is the ultimate stripping of their agency, whether they were a direct survivor or whether they lost a loved one, or in the case in Minneapolis, if they lost a child or a sibling, they did not choose that,” says Agrelo.
Agrelo adds that survivors can get some of that agency back when peers and loved ones, policymakers and support groups, respect their wishes about how to discuss their experience.
He says it does not mean walking on eggshells around them, but rather asking if it is okay to bring up a specific aspect of their grieving.
He says people should not make assumptions about what a survivor needs.
Teacher Abbey Clements, a survivor of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, is the co-founder of Teachers Unify to End Gun Violence.
She strongly believes access to guns is a factor that can not be ignored.
She also agrees that there needs to be a healthy balance in how the public processes these tragedies.
“We know that statistics alone have not moved the needle, so we need to do better about creating space for stories,” says Clements.
Clements said her group aims to do that for educators, including the opportunity to speak anonymously.
Meanwhile, Agrelo hopes survivors of the Minneapolis shooting are not only called upon to share stories when there’s a congressional hearing or a milestone anniversary.
He encourages the media and others to emphasize the accomplishments, interests and aspirations of those who died from gun violence.
“I think it’s important to name not just how people died, but also.
(With files from Mike Moen/Minnesota News Service)
