Miah Cerrillo and the parents of a number of young Americans murdered and injured in recent mass shootings spoke before the US House Oversight Committee as politicians attempt to craft a compromise gun safety policy.
A fourth-grade survivor of last month’s school shooting in Uvalde described how she smeared blood on herself and pretended to be dead after her teacher and classmates were slaughtered by the gunman.
“He said ‘goodnight’ to my teacher and then shot her in the head,” the 11-year-old Robb Elementary pupil said in a prerecorded interview aired for the committee.
“And then he shot some of my students and the chalkboard,” she added, adding, “He also shot my classmate who was sitting next to me, and I feared he was going to return to the classroom. I obtained the blood and applied it to myself.”
Miah described how, in order to survive the attack by high school dropout Salvador Ramos, she covered herself in blood and appeared to be dead.
In addition, the parents of one of the young children murdered in the shooting on May 24 testified at the court.
The 18-year-old shooter crashed his vehicle before entering the school and opening fire, resulting in one of the deadliest school shootings in American history.
The young pupil expressed concern that such school violence could occur again.
The tragedy at Uvalde was one of a spate of mass shootings around the United States in recent weeks that resulted in dozens of fatalities and prompted a new round of bipartisan discussions in the United States Senate.
Since Democrats and Republicans are profoundly split on the issue of firearms, discussions have centred on modest aims, such as pushing states to implement “red flag” laws to prohibit firearms to individuals deemed a risk to themselves or the public.
On Wednesday evening, the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives passed a bill to increase the minimum age for purchasing a semi-automatic weapon and restrict the sale of ammunition magazines with a capacity of more than 15 rounds.
However, it is almost guaranteed to fail in the Senate, where negotiations are underway to find a less draconian solution that would be acceptable to all parties and prevent Republicans from killing the plan.
school shooting in Texas as it occurred
Republicans ardently support the Second Amendment’s protection of the right to keep and bear guns, and have opposed ideas such as limiting sales of the assault-style rifles used in the Uvalde murder and another mass shooting at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York.
Also testifying at today’s session is the mother of a Buffalo Tops gunshot victim.
Ten individuals were killed and three others were injured in the atrocity on 14 May.
Payton Gendron, the alleged shooter, was brought into custody by police following the attack, which is being investigated as “a racially motivated hate crime.”
The hearing occurs after Matthew McConaughey, a Hollywood actor born in Uvalde, delivered an impassioned and persuasive speech at the White House on the need for “responsible” gun reform.
Later, the entire House is scheduled to discuss a bill that would raise the minimum age for purchasing some firearms from 18 to 21 and strengthen restrictions on untraceable rifles.
As its passage would require the support of 10 Republicans, it is extremely doubtful that the bill will pass the Senate.
In the past, Democrats have pushed to pass expansive gun control legislation to stem the flood of mass shootings and other gun-related violence, which has already surpassed 200 in the United States this year alone.
This time, though, they have indicated they may be willing to accept legislation on a lower scale in order to obtain Republican backing.
President Joe Biden has advocated for harsher measures, including the prohibition of assault rifles.
