When Stories Speak Louder Than Statistics

On Saturday, DWCNV friends participated in the 7th Annual City of Falls Church Fall Festival, where our Gun Violence Prevention booth drew steady attention. We distributed 19 free trigger locks, generously provided by the Falls Church City Sheriff’s Office and the National Shooting Sports Foundation. We also helped send more than 500 postcards urging sensible gun legislation to Senators Kaine and Warner, Congressman Beyer, Governor Youngkin, and Congressman Walkinshaw.

But sometimes, the stories behind those numbers reveal the actual weight of the crisis.

One of our first visitors took a sticker, signed several postcards, and then shared why this issue matters to him. At fourteen, he survived an attempted sexual assault in a Fairfax County park by a pedophile. His attacker threw him down, held him at gunpoint, and told him what he was going to do. Though he escaped, he said the memory has never left him—five decades later.

Moments like this remind us: gun violence isn’t abstract. It lingers in people’s lives long after the headlines fade.

Later, a middle-aged woman with trembling hands picked up postcards to take home. She paused, turned back, and said, “This is not how our country should be,” before breaking into tears.

Three disabled young adults approached the table together and eagerly signed postcards. A local grocery store cart attendant added her name as well, frustrated and vocal about the toll gun violence takes on communities. Her determination inspired passersby to stop and engage.

Even children came forward. A young girl and, later, a young boy each signed postcards, doing their best to write their name. They asked why people are shot with guns. The girl later wandered back to our booth, and that’s where her mother found her.

Encounters like these make one thing clear: Those with disabilities and children—people who feel the world without filters—cannot normalize gun violence. Why do so many adults tolerate what they cannot?

These voices remind us what’s at stake and who we’re fighting for.