On Sunday evening in Miami, I participated in the annual Remembrance Dinner of the Trayvon Martin Foundation, an organization dedicated to ending senseless gun violence. 

Three days later, less than an hour’s drive from where I stood with the parents of a slain teenager and prayed for peace, a 19-year-old armed with an assault rifle strode into a high school and slaughtered 14 teenagers and three adults.

In the six years since their 17-year-old son was beaten and shot to death by a self-styled vigilante on a suburban street, Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton have devoted themselves to their foundation, which not only works to combat gun violence, but offers support to families, and promotes S.T.E.M. education for women and minorities.  Their work has been truly inspirational, and I was honored to receive an award on Sunday for the work the Urban League Movement has done in the areas of peace, education and family support.

The heartbreaking massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, highlights the desperate need for gun reforms at every level of government. The weapon used, an AR-15 assault rifle, is easier to obtain in Florida than a handgun, and far more deadly. It’s fed with stock magazines, each holding 30 rounds, that can be swapped out quickly, enabling a shooter to fire more than 100 rounds in minutes.  The FBI failed to follow up on a tip about the shooter’s erratic behavior and desire to kill people – a tip which, had it been handled properly – could have led to an intervention that prevented the killings.

The National Urban League is proud to be a member of the Everytown For Gun Safety coalition, a movement of Americans working together to end gun violence and build safer communities. Please lend your support and tell your elected representatives we reject the reign of terror caused by the gun industry’s stranglehold on our government.