‘It’s Our Turn’: Gun-Safety Advocates Ride a ‘Seismic’ Surge into US Statehouses.

A fresh wave of youthful political leaders is ascending to office across the United States by channeling their personal experience with gun violence to push for policy changes they contend the country is ready for.

Their rise signifies a multi-year shift. Gun violence prevention has moved from a political taboo rarely spoken about on the stump to a central platform that politicians, predominantly from the Democratic party, are now running – and winning – on.

Widespread Fatigue Drives the Shift

This change is fueled in part by a collective exhaustion with gun violence, including large-scale attacks – such as tragedies at a Rhode Island university and Bondi Beach – as well as gun-related suicides and street violence, which persist in devastating countless American lives.

“It’s been an issue that has impacted my life,” explained Justin Pearson. “There was something about a legislator and witnessing a lack of action, while remembering the impact in my community, that pushed me to say this is an issue we must address urgently.”

Ironically, the day he was took office coincided with the deadliest shooting in the state’s history, when six individuals were murdered at a Covenant school.

Expulsion and a National Spotlight

Shortly after, he and several fellow legislators staged a demonstration on the legislative chamber to call for stricter firearms laws. Pearson and his colleague were removed from office for their action, an act that propelled them to national prominence. They later were reinstated.

Subsequently, his sibling was lost to a self-inflicted gunshot wound. This was not his first encounter with violent loss; just years before, his guide and a old schoolmate were also fatally shot in his hometown.

Now, he is campaigning for a seat in the US Congress by centering firearms safety at the heart of his campaign platform. He emphasizes how it impacts the state’s youth, for whom firearms injuries are the primary killer.

From Activism to Candidacy

The rise of candidates focusing on gun violence is also a result of the expanding prevention movement across the nation, which has become a recruitment channel for political newcomers.

• Maxwell Frost, the nation’s first Gen Z US representative, started off as a activist with March for Our Lives.
• Lucy McBath, a Congresswoman, and Abigail Spanberger, a soon-to-be governor, were both volunteers with a grassroots safety organization before entering politics.
• Cameron Kasky, a Parkland survivor who helped to organize national marches, has declared his own campaign for Congress.

“I see myself as a piece of a larger cause. It’s the reason I got into politics,” said Frost. “I was 15 when Sandy Hook happened and that’s what inspired me to get involved.”

From Third Rail to Talking Point

Today, calling out gun-rights lobbyists like the National Rifle Association is standard practice among Democratic candidates. But less than 15 years ago, many moderate Democrats held ‘A’ grades from the organization, and the subject of regulating guns was considered a political third rail.

“It was a slow process and full of ups and downs,” said a prominent advocate. “We saw our volunteers running for office and thought it was common sense that someone advocating for laws would want to become a lawmaker.”

Advocates cite the 2012 mass shooting and the lack of action in Congress to pass reforms as a watershed moment. This pushed formerly gun-friendly Democrats to abandon their high ratings to call for restrictions on high-capacity magazines. Now, receiving a poor grade from the NRA is a point of pride.

“After the Florida school shooting, zero Democratic members of Congress had an A rating and were boasting of it. That’s a seismic shift,” the activist added. “It dispelled a lot of misperceptions and anxieties about being proactive on this issue.”

Personal Loss Fuels Political Action

The issue of firearms deaths has also mobilized first-time entrants to public service.

Shaundelle Brooks lost her son in a 2018 mass shooting in Nashville. Years later, another son was wounded leaving a concert. After repeated trips of pleading at the capitol with little result, she decided to become a candidate herself.

“Coming up here for seven years and having them just dismiss me, made it clear that I needed to do more than what I was doing,” she said.

“When people see you’re personally impacted, they feel that you’re more authentic to talk about this. They know it’s not a partisan game for us,” she added.

A New Generation’s Call

These shared stories of loss unite advocates across the nation, forming what those affected describe as a “group no one wants to join.”

“We don’t have a formal network, but we all feel called in this moment to be a part of the solution,” Pearson said of his colleagues. “The world is riddled with entrenched problems. We’ve given people generations to solve them. And now, with our the people behind us, it’s our turn.”

Pearson argues that addressing this crisis also requires focusing on bipartisan issues like mental health access and economic stability, which might find more traction even in conservative legislatures. This broader view shows that being committed to ending firearms tragedies isn’t solely concerning restrictions, but also about addressing the underlying conditions.

“We’re not single-issue candidates,” he said. “We understand the connected nature of the problems. It’s not just shootings. It’s economic hardship, pollution, deprived communities – these are the places with the most severe rates of violence. We need leaders who have proximity to that reality.”

Ultimately, Pearson contends inaction at the federal level on policies like extreme risk protection orders and cooling-off periods has deadly outcomes.

“Because of that inaction, people are dying,” he said. “This crisis isn’t going to be solved by doing what we’ve done in the past.”