The mother of a survivor of the Buffalo mass shooting has invited lawmakers to come to her home and clean the wounds on her son’s bullet-ridden body if they continue to refuse to tackle America’s escalating gun violence.
Zeneta Everhart gave emotional testimony before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday morning as lawmakers come under growing pressure to enact tighter gun control measures in the wake of a string of recent mass shootings that have torn dozens of families apart.
Ms Everhart described in harrowing detail the extent of the injuries that her son Zaire Goodman suffered after being a victim of the racist attack in Buffalo, New York, last month.
She told lawmakers that Mr Goodman will now have shrapnel lodged in his body for the rest of his life and said that any official who votes against passing gun control laws does not deserve to hold a seat on Capitol Hill.
“To the lawmakers who feel that we do not need stricter gun laws let me paint a picture for you: My son Zaire has a hole in the right side of his neck, two on his back, and another on his left leg, caused by an exploding bullet from an AR-15,” she told lawmakers.
“As I clean his wounds, I can feel pieces of that bullet in his back. Shrapnel will be left inside of his body for the rest of his life.”
She invited any lawmakers who are not moved into taking action to come to see her son’s wounds for themselves.
“If after hearing from me and the other people testifying here today, does not move you to act on gun laws, I invite you to my home to help me clean Zaire’s wounds so that you may see up close the damage that has been caused to my son and to my community,” she testified.
Ms Everhart urged lawmakers to think about that happening to their own children as she called on any elected official who votes against passing stricter gun laws to be “voted out.
“I want you to picture that exact scenario for one of your children. This should not be your story or mine,” she said.
“As an elected official it is your duty to draft legislation that protects Zaire and all of the children and citizens in this country.”
She added: “Lawmakers who continuously allow these mass shootings to continue by not passing stricter gun laws should be voted out.”
Mr Goodman was one of 13 people shot by self-proclaimed racist and white supremacist Payton Gendron in the mass shooting at a Tops Friendly Market store in Buffalo back on 14 May.
The 18-year-old gunman was able to legally purchase an AR-15 before he drove to the predominantly Black neighbourhood and targeted innocent shoppers.
Ten Black people were killed in the horrific attack while three others were shot and survived.
The massacre came just 10 days before 19 young students aged just nine to 11 years old and two teachers were shot and killed in a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.
Days after that, four people were murdered in a mass shooting at a hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
In all three cases, AR-15s were used and the shooters bought the weapons legally.
Dozens more have also been killed in mass shootings across the country in recent weeks.
The House Committee on Oversight and Reform convened the hearing on Wednesday morning as Democrats and Republicans are once again debating gun control measures.
House Democrats said the hearing was called to tackle “the urgent need to address the gun violence epidemic”.
