- The House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing begins at 10 am Wednesday.
- The most emotional testimony is expected to come from Miah Cerrillo, an 11-year-old Uvalde survivor.
- Lawmakers are facing mounting pressure to respond to a scourge of mass shootings and gun violence.
- At least nine witnesses will testify Wednesday.
WASHINGTON – Lawmakers and advocates – even actor Matthew McConaughey – are sharing impassioned pleas to reform the nation’s gun laws, but the most compelling argument is expected to come from a fourth-grader.
Miah Cerrillo, an 11-year-old who smeared herself with her slain friend’s blood to play dead during the May 24 mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, is one of nine witnesses who will testify at a 10 am Wednesday hearing on Capitol Hill. The House Oversight and Reform Committee is holding the hearing to address the gun violence epidemic.
Her father, Miguel, told USA TODAY this week that Miah is sharing her survival story to “make safer schools.”
“This hearing is ultimately about saving lives,” committee Chair Carolyn Maloney, DN.Y., said in a statement.
Why she’s testifying:Still facing nightmares, Uvalde survivor Miah Cerrillo, 11, will testify at House hearing on guns
What we know about the House hearing
The hearing Wednesday comes during an emotionally charged week on Capitol Hill. It began with a Monday rally for gun safety laws and has included tense negotiations in the Senate, heated debate in the House and passionate hearings in both chambers.
McConaughey, a native of Uvalde, has been meeting with members of both parties to encourage them to work together, he said during a White House briefing Tuesday.
Lawmakers are facing mounting pressure to respond to the scourge of violence, particularly after mass shootings in Texas and New York gripped the nation last month.
Members of the House Oversight and Reform Committee will hear from a young survivor, victims’ parents, a community pediatrician, advocates and others who are reeling from trauma after the mass killings on May 24 at Robb Elementary in Uvalde and the May 14 racially motivated massacre of 10 people at a Buffalo supermarket in a Black neighborhood.
The committee said the hearing will examine “the urgent need for Congress to pass commonsense legislation that a majority of Americans support.”
Democrats who have majority leadership on the committee want to ban assault weapons, boost background checks and pass “red flag” laws, which allow courts to remove firearms from those deemed a threat to themselves or others.
Hearing details:Uvalde and Buffalo survivors, families to testify before House Oversight committee on mass shootings
The otherside:Everyone knows the NRA. Who’s on the other side? These groups lobby for curbs on firearms
‘Shame on us!’:House committee passes gun bills that are likely to die in Senate
Candy Woodall is a Congress reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @candynotcandace.
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George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism