‘Now Is Our Moment’: Firearms-Safety Activists Surf a ‘Seismic’ Wave into US Statehouses.

A new generation of youthful political leaders is gaining power across the United States by leveraging their personal experience with gun violence to push for reforms they believe the country is ready for.

Their rise marks a nearly decade-long shift. Firearms safety has moved from a political taboo seldom discussed on campaign trails to a central platform that politicians, mostly Democrats, are now running – and winning – on.

A Collective Exhaustion Drives the Shift

This evolution is fueled in part by a national weariness with gun violence, encompassing large-scale attacks – like recent incidents at a Rhode Island university and Bondi Beach – as well as gun-related suicides and community violence, which continue to tear apart countless American lives.

“This is a problem that has directly touched me,” said a Tennessee state representative. “There was something about a state representative and seeing a lack of action, while recalling the impact in my community, that pushed me to say this is an issue we must address urgently.”

The day he was sworn in was also the deadliest shooting in Tennessee history, when three children and three adults were murdered at a Nashville private school.

Expulsion and a National Spotlight

Shortly after, he and two other fellow legislators staged a demonstration on the legislative chamber to demand stronger gun policy. The lawmakers were removed from office for their action, an act that catapulted them to widespread recognition. They later reclaimed their seats.

Months later, Pearson’s brother was lost to a self-inflicted gunshot wound. This was not his first experience with violent loss; previously, his mentor and a former classmate were also fatally shot in Memphis.

Now, he is campaigning for a federal office by centering firearms safety at the heart of his campaign platform. He emphasizes how it affects the state’s young residents, for whom gunshot wounds are the primary killer.

From Activism to Candidacy

The rise of office-seekers centering gun violence is also a result of the expanding prevention movement across the nation, which has become a pipeline for new candidates.

• Maxwell Frost, the nation’s first Generation Z congressmember, began as a activist with a student-led gun-safety group.
• Lucy McBath, a Georgia representative, and Abigail Spanberger, a soon-to-be governor, were both volunteers with Moms Demand Action before running for office.
• Cameron Kasky, a survivor who helped to organize national marches, has declared his own run for a House seat.

“I see myself as a small part of a larger cause. It’s the reason I got into politics,” noted the congressman. “I was 15 when the Newtown tragedy happened and that’s what pushed me to get involved.”

A Seismic Shift in Politics

Nowadays, challenging pro-gun groups like the NRA is common among Democratic candidates. But less than 15 years ago, many moderate Democrats held ‘A’ grades from the organization, and the subject of gun control was considered a career-ending issue.

“It was gradual and full of ups and downs,” said a prominent advocate. “We saw our volunteers seeking election and thought it was logical that someone advocating for laws would want to become a lawmaker.”

Many point to the Sandy Hook Elementary tragedy and the subsequent failure in Washington to pass gun-safety policies as a watershed moment. This led formerly gun-friendly Democrats to risk their favorable scores to call for limits on assault weapons. Now, having an F rating from the NRA is a badge of honor.

“After the Florida school shooting, zero Democratic members of Congress had an A rating and were proud about it. That’s a dramatic change,” the activist added. “It shattered a lot of myths and anxieties about being gun safety-forward.”

Personal Loss Fuels Political Action

The issue of firearms deaths has also activated newcomers to public service.

A Tennessee mother lost her son in a 2018 mass shooting in the city. Years later, another son was wounded leaving a concert. After repeated trips of advocating at the statehouse with no response, she chose to run for office.

“Coming up here for seven years and having them just ignoring me, showed me that I needed to do something greater than what I was doing,” she said.

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

A New Generation’s Call

These personal experiences of tragedy connect advocates across the nation, forming what those affected describe as a “group no one wants to join.”

“We don’t have a group chat, but we all feel called in this moment to be a part of the solution,” Pearson said of his fellow advocates. “The world is full of entrenched problems. We’ve given people decades to address them. And now, with our the people behind us, the moment is ours.”

He believes that tackling gun violence also requires action on bipartisan issues like mental health access and economic stability, which might find more traction even in conservative legislatures. This holistic approach shows that being committed to ending gun violence isn’t solely concerning gun laws, but also about improving the underlying conditions.

“We’re not one-dimensional politicians,” he emphasized. “We understand the connected nature of the harms. It’s not just gun violence. It’s economic hardship, environmental issues, neglected neighborhoods – these are the places with the highest levels of violence. We need leaders who have experienced that pain.”

In the end, the candidate says inaction at the federal level on measures like extreme risk protection orders and waiting periods has real consequences.

“Due to this stagnation, people are dying,” he said. “This crisis isn’t going to be solved by doing what we’ve done in the past.”