In Washington Wednesday, the House Committee on Oversight and Reform held a hearing in the aftermath of recent gun violence, including the mass shooting in Buffalo on May 14.
Among those testifying were Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia and Zeneta Everhart, whose son, Zaire Goodman, 21, was one of three people wounded at the Jefferson Avenue Tops supermarket.
Everhart described what happened to her son.
"My son, Zaire, has a hole in the right side of his neck, two on his back and another on his left leg, caused by an exploding bullet from an AR-15. As I clean his wounds, I can feel pieces of that bullet in his back. Shrapnel will be left inside of his body for the rest of his life," Everhart said. "Now I want you to picture that exact scenario for one of your children. This should not be your story or mine."
Gramaglia described the heroic effort of security guard and retired Buffalo Police officer Aaron Salter to deter the shooter at Tops.
"He engaged the shooter as he entered, hitting him with at least one shot," Gramaglia said. "It is often said a good guy with a gun will stop a bad guy with a gun. Aaron was a good guy and was no match for what he went up against: a legal AR-15 with multiple high-capacity magazines. He had no chance."
Gramaglia noted that his department responded to the shooting and had the suspect under arrest within minutes of the first police call, even though Salter and nine other people were killed and three wounded because of the weapon used by the shooter.
"Assault weapons, like the AR-15, are known for three things: how many rounds they fire, the speed at which they fire those rounds and body counts," he said. "This radicalized 18-year-old adult should have never had been able to have access to the weapons he used to perpetrate this attack and the laws need to be enacted to ensure it never happens again."
Gramaglia's testimony was also on behalf of the Major City Police Chiefs Association in calling for more gun restrictions, especially on assault weapons.
Everhart also told the congressional representatives they need to enact strong gun control legislation.
"As an elected official it is your duty to draft legislation that protects Zaire and all of the children and citizens in this country. Common sense guns laws are not about your personal feelings or beliefs," she said. "You are elected because you have been chosen and are trusted to protect us. But let me say to you here today, I do not feel protected."
The panel also heard from Miah Cerrillo, 11, a 4th-grader who covered herself in her dead classmate’s blood and played dead to survive the Uvalde, TX school shooting on May 24.
The House is moving quickly to pass legislation in response to the recent mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde. A bill approved Wednesday would raise the age limit for purchasing a semi-automatic rifle and prohibit the sale of ammunition magazines with a capacity of more than 10 rounds.
However, the legislation has almost no chance of becoming law, as the Senate pursues more modest proposals.
Watch all testimony here.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
