His daughter was killed in a school massacre, he now leads the fight for gun control in the United States.

Patricia Oliver’s blood cooled when she looked at her cell phone and learned that 19 children and two teachers had been killed with an assault rifle at a Texas school. She is reminded of the memory of the loss of her own son, Joaquín, who was similarly murdered in her high school in the Parkland, Florida massacre in 2018.

But what this mother felt most after the May 23 mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, near the Mexican border, was “a lot of anger,” she says.

“Why how long do we have to keep losing lives at the expense of the irresponsibility of those in control of this country? Why are the Administration, the members of Congress, the members of the Senate so late in making decisions? simply because it is not convenient for them, but for God, they are accomplices », he complains, in dialogue with RFI.

Change of referee

Patricia and her husband, both Venezuelans, turned their pain into action and four years ago created the organization “Change the Ref” or “Cambiemos al arbitrado”, seeking to change the laws governing weapons.

Using art as a medium, they enter the depths of America where there are pockets of Republicans very attached to the second amendment to the Constitution, which proclaims the right to be armed.

With their message they get positive results: “People who have spent their whole life defending their freedom to get any kind of weapon in their possession and have returned them and sent us pictures and tell us look, we cannot continue to allow it; then he notes that you have to have perseverance because perseverance is when you are successful, ”says Patricia.

Request to Joe Biden

For her and all the families who have lost loved ones in mass shootings, not much can be expected from Congress and it is President Joe Biden who must limit or completely ban military weapons in the hands of civilians.

“He is the president, he is the CEO of this country, as the first authority who can immediately execute an executive order. Why do not you do that? His argument is that the next to come to power might have all the tools to reverse that law, but he could give an immediate signature and say look, today is today and tomorrow is tomorrow, “he denounces.

Along with other activists, Patricia Oliver often travels to Washington DC and talks to lawmakers, organizes and participates in demonstrations and marches, and remains optimistic.

“Let’s hope we can see a big change in life and that I can go to bed and say well, look my king, as I tell Joaquín, here we are, here we did it, feel happy”, he concludes.

Despite all the obstacles, this brave mother has no intention of giving up.

Invoice

In the midst of a mounting debate, the Democratic-majority United States Lower House passed this Wednesday an initiative to strengthen firearm controls after the terrifying shootings in Uvalde (Texas) and Buffalo (New York), although it is very likely that he will not succeed in the Senate.

The bill contains the toughest gun control measures the House has passed in recent decades.

The project, called “Let’s protect our children”, proposes increase the purchase age of semi-automatic shotguns from 18 to 21 years and bans high-capacity bullet cartridges used in Uvalde and Buffalo by 18-year-olds.

It also proposes measures to regulate homemade firearms, known as “ghost pistols” because they lack serial numbers and are responsible for an increasing number of shootings.

That first initiative was approved with 223 votes in favor and 204 against. Five Republicans broke with their party and approved the measure, and two Democrats voted “no”.

Source: RFI and EFE

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