My name is Alton Lucas, and I lost two people dear to me to gun violence – my dad and my nephew.

I know gun safety is a hot-button issue that’s all over the news these days. But if there’s one organization that I trust to bring people to the table to actually make change – it’s MomsRising.

I live in North Carolina with my wife, Bronwyn, and have seen MomsRising bring our voices to North Carolina lawmakers, who listened and protected background checks that prevent domestic violence abusers and dangerously mentally ill individuals from obtaining handguns.

MomsRising, we need more of this.

That’s why I’m asking you to join me in defending women and families with an end-of-year contribution to MomsRising today.

When MomsRising invited me to share my story about gun violence, I did not hesitate. I knew they would treat my story with respect.

My father was 19 when he was killed by gun violence. My mom was six-months pregnant with me. I never met him. He never met me.

You may not get hit with the bullet, but it still hurts you.

I lost my 23-year old nephew to gun violence in my own community. I got the phone call at 4 in the morning. I had to identify his body.

I relive it every day.

I thought about the person who shot him. Why did he shoot my nephew? What could have triggered him to do this? What could have prevented him from doing this?

There’s so much work to be done. That’s why MomsRising is so important. They walk hand-in-hand with victim’s families – like mine -- and they listen to our stories. And they listen to the stories of defendants -- trying to find out how to prevent gun violence. And then MomsRising brings our stories, our voices, our letters and priorities, directly to leaders who have the power to make the changes we all seek.

That’s why this dad is rising for MomsRising. I urge you to do the same.

Thanks for listening to my story.

In peace,

Alton