Garnell Whitfield

On May 14, 2022 in Buffalo, NY, an 18-year-old white supremacist walked into our local supermarket and murdered 10 beloved members of our community… because they were black. This was not some random act of violence, It was a well planned, intentional act whose success was dependant upon the fulfillment of his desire, as expressed in his manifesto, to kill as many black people as possible in the least amount of time… and live. His weapon of choice? A legally purchased semi-automatic AR-15 style rifle with an illegally modified clip which converted it to a fully automatic weapon Had he not had this weapon of war, the security guard, a retired Buffalo Police Officer, who was armed with a handgun and confronted him, surely would have been able to prevent many of the deaths on that day… even his very own.

But I stand before you today because the fourth victim of this heinous act was Mrs. Ruth Whitfield, my 86 year-old mother who had just left the nursing home that she sojourned to daily for the last eight years to care for her husband of 68 years, my father. There are no words to describe the hurt, pain and anger that I, and unfortunately, many of you, have experienced… especially when you realize that the perpetrators of these crimes continue to be aided by the inaction of a society that, in their silence, gives tacit approval to the inhumane proliferation of guns and the violence that inevitably follows.

So today, I reiterate the call for our leaders, no matter the political or financial cost, take immediate action to bring an Assault Weapons Ban to the floor for a vote… my mother and the loved ones of all that have been sacrificed to this plague deserve no less.