A profound and seismic shift is reshaping American politics as a new wave of candidates, propelled by personal tragedy and a collective exhaustion with gun violence, wins elected office to champion reform.
From Personal Pain to Political Power
The journey from survivor to lawmaker is becoming a defining political pathway. Figures like Tennessee State Representative Justin Pearson, now running for US Congress, embody this change. Pearson, 30, was sworn into the state legislature on the same day as the deadliest shooting in Tennessee history at the Covenant Catholic school in Nashville in March 2023, which killed three children and three adults.
His activism led to a temporary expulsion from the state house, catapulting him to national attention. Months later, in December 2024, his brother died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, compounding earlier losses in his Memphis community. Pearson's campaign centres on this issue, highlighting that gunshot wounds are the leading cause of death for young people in Tennessee.
He is not alone. Maxwell Frost, the nation's first Gen Z member of Congress, began as a volunteer organiser for March for Our Lives. Georgia Representative Lucy McBath, whose son Jordan Davis was killed in 2012, and Virginia Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger were both volunteers with Moms Demand Action.
A Movement Decades in the Making
This transformation marks a dramatic reversal. Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action, notes that less than 15 years ago, many moderate Democrats prized 'A' ratings from the National Rifle Association (NRA). Discussing gun regulation was considered a 'third rail' likely to end political careers.
Watts identifies the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting and the subsequent congressional inaction as a watershed. It pushed formerly gun-friendly Democrats to risk their NRA ratings. "After Parkland, zero Democratic members of Congress had an A rating and were proud about it. That’s a seismic shift," Watts stated.
The movement has also activated political newcomers like Shaundelle Brooks. After her son was killed in the 2018 Nashville Waffle House shooting and another son was later injured in a separate incident, she spent years advocating at the statehouse. Frustrated by the response, she decided to run for office herself.
A Holistic Approach to a Complex Crisis
For these new leaders, the mission extends beyond simple restrictions. Pearson, a recent gun owner himself, argues for federal policies like red flag laws and mandatory waiting periods. However, he also stresses the need to address intersecting issues like veteran suicide, mental health access, poverty, and housing instability, which are prevalent in communities suffering the highest levels of gun violence.
"We’re not single-issue candidates," Pearson explained. "We understand the intersectionality of the harms... We have to have leaders who have proximity to that pain."
This growing cohort, united by experience and a sense of urgency, believes their moment has arrived. "We’ve given people decades to solve the issues we’ve been left with," Pearson said. "And now, with our constituents’ support, it’s our turn."
