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Op-ed: A Voice for Ahmad and a Call for Change

2.8.2022

Yesterday, on the final day of the fourth annual National Gun Violence Survivors Week, the Charlotte Observer and the Raleigh News & Observer published an op-ed by Alicia Campbell, a Survivor Fellow with the Everytown Survivor Network and a volunteer with the North Carolina chapter of Moms Demand Action. In the piece, Alicia shares the story of her son Ahmad, who was shot and killed in 2016. She also highlights the urgency of America’s gun violence crisis and calls on North Carolina lawmakers to take action on common sense gun safety policies.

From the op-ed:

“After Ahmad died, I couldn’t bear to let another mother feel the pain of having a child taken by gun violence — a pain that I continue to shoulder every single day. I joined Moms Demand Action to fight for better gun laws, to help protect others the way I wish someone had protected my son. I’ve devoted all of my free time to the gun violence prevention movement because I can envision a future better than our current reality. 

Gun violence is an epidemic that continues to plague communities across North Carolina. But it doesn’t have to be this way. While I’ve seen progress that encourages me to keep pushing — like when in August, Governor Cooper vetoed legislation that would have repealed North Carolina’s background check requirement for unlicensed handgun sales — there are still key improvements to be made to our state’s gun laws. 

It’s an uphill battle, but volunteers like me will continue to lead this fight at every level, and we welcome everyone to join us. 

I’m proud to be part of a community of gun violence survivors that is so steadfast and full of hope. That’s why I’m sharing my story this National Gun Violence Survivors Week. I made a vow to be Ahmad’s voice forever, and I’ll keep telling our story until I see the change that this country so desperately needs.”

Read Alicia’s op-ed here.