Controlling gun violence and the impact of the gun violence epidemic on Americans took center stage at the Democratic National Convention this week in Chicago — and, gun rights advocates were watching closely to hear how the party and potential new leaders are ready to tackle this major issue for voters.
Kris Brown, the president of Brady United Against Gun Violence, told Scripps News, "The platforming of survivors, the number of survivors, contextualizing this horror of gun violence in this country, at the DNC, is unique."
She said, "We've had discussions of gun violence before at Democratic conventions, but not the focus, honestly, every single day ... cap toned by the story of survivors from across America, with this uniquely American epidemic."
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Pew Research said guns and gun ownership are aspects of American society that are deeply ingrained. In the organization's research, Pew found that about 4 in 10 U.S. adults say they live in a household with a gun.
Brown, who served as a senior legislative assistant to former Congressman Jim Moran, said, "Both President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have made ending gun violence a top priority."
The topic of gun violence and gun control and safety has been a leading part of political debate in the U.S.
Pew found that there is perhaps no other topic that divides American voters "more deeply than the role that firearms have in American life."
Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris' running mate Tim Walz spoke about gun ownership in his DNC speech this week. He talked about being a hunter and responsible use of a firearm.
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It's a point that gun law reform advocates are listening to, as they watch how a potential Harris administration in the White House would tackle problems related to violent crime and gun violence across the U.S.
The candidates are now back on the campaign trail as the party leaves the spotlight of this week's DNC after putting gun violence survivors onstage to tell their stories. It also comes as data continues to show that gun violence is rapidly taking the lives of children, as a study out late last year highlighted.
"You don't have to believe that you are abandoning the Second Amendment to also believe in basic gun safety," Brown said.
