Son of oldest Buffalo shooting victim tells lawmakers to step up on gun violence or bow out: ‘My mother’s life mattered’

NEW YORK — Step up, or step down.

That’s the message that the son of the oldest shooting victim in last month’s massacre in a Buffalo supermarket sent Tuesday to lawmakers as he testified on domestic terrorism before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

“You expect us to continue to just forgive and forget over and over again. And what are you doing?” said Garnell Whitfield Jr., whose 86-year-old mother, Ruth Whitfield, was among the 10 people killed by an 18-year-old gunman espousing racist views. “You’re elected to protect us, to protect our way of life.”