Nancy Pelosi Bringing Gun Violence Survivor To State Of The Union

WASHINGTON -- A increasing number of House Democrats are bringing victims of gun violence as their guests to next week's State of the Union, with the list now including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.).
Pelosi announced Friday that she plans to bring a little girl from Newtown, Conn. who was affected by the December shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School, along with her mother, as her guests to President Barack Obama's annual address to the nation. The girl's name and the nature of her connection to the shootings were not immediately released. During a press event at the House Democratic retreat, Pelosi noted that lawmakers are usually allowed to bring only one guest, but an exception was made in this case because her guest is a child.
At the same event, Van Hollen announced that he plans to bring a woman named Carol Price as his guest to the president's address. He said that Price her lost her son to gun violence, and that his death led to the passage of legislation in Maryland requiring trigger locks on firearms.
News of their plans comes amid an effort by a group of House Democrats to get all lawmakers in their party to bring gun violence victims to the State of the Union, in an effort to keep up the pressure for new gun safety laws. Ten lawmakers were confirmed to participate in the effort earlier this week; that number is now up to 21.
In addition to Pelosi and Van Hollen, Democrats taking part in the effort include Reps. Jim Langevin (R.I.), Keith Ellison (Minn.), Carolyn McCarthy (N.Y.), David Cicilline (R.I.), Lois Frankel (Fla.), Gloria Negrete McLeod (Calif.), Ed Perlmutter (Colo.), Janice Hahn (Calif.), Bobby Scott (Va.), Brad Schneider (Ill.), Rosa DeLauro (Conn.), Elizabeth Esty (Conn.), Mike Thompson (Calif.), Jim Himes (Conn.), Tammy Duckworth (Ill.), Diana DeGette (Colo.), Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.), Jan Schakowsky (Ill.) and Lujan Grisham (N.M.).
Schakowsky announced earlier Friday who her guest would be: Carolyn Murray, whose son Justin was fatally shot in November in Evanston, Ill. By mid-December, Murray had organized a gun buyback event and collected nearly 50 guns.
"I'm so grateful to welcome Carolyn Murray as my State of the Union guest this year. Ms. Murray has turned her pain into power through her tireless work against gun violence and she is truly making a difference in our community," Schakowsky said in a statement.
Murray said she is excited to attend the State of the Union in honor of her son.
"Too many young people have been killed by guns, and it must end," she said in a statement. "As the mother of a young victim, I'm committed to doing everything in my power to end gun violence. The time is now for Congress to act to save lives."
The State of the Union is next Tuesday, Feb. 12.
HuffingtonPost