DNC: Orlando Shooting Victim's Mother Speaks
July 27, 2016 8:12 PM EDT
The mother of an Orlando shooting victim took the stage to call for better gun-control policies at the Democratic national convention on Wednesday.
Christine Leinonen, the mother of Christopher “Drew” Leinonen, one of the 49 victims of the June shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub, said that when she was a state trooper she had to turn in her service weapon when she went into labor with her son.
“The weapon that murdered my son fires 30 rounds in one minute. An Orlando city commissioner pointed out the terrible math. One minute per gun to fire so many shots, five minutes per bell to honor so many lives. I’m glad common-sense gun policy was in place when Christopher was born, but where was that common sense the day he died?” she asked.
Flanked by Jose Arriagada, Christopher’s ex-boyfriend and a survivor of the shooting, and Brandon Wolf, a friend of Christopher’s and another survivor, Leinonen added that her son was a supporter of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
Leinonen’s speech received a standing ovation from the audience.
Read her full remarks, as delivered:
It takes about five minutes for a church bell to ring 49 times. I know this because last month, my son Christopher, his boyfriend Juan and 47 others were murdered at a club in Orlando. Christopher was my only child. As I used to tell him, you can’t do better than perfect.
He had so many friends, two of whom are here tonight representing hundreds and hundreds more. All his life, he brought people together. In high school, he won the Anne Frank Humanitarian Award for starting the gay straight alliance.
Christopher’s paternal grandparents met and fell in love in a Japanese internment camp. So it was in his DNA that love always trumps hate.
Christopher was a big Hillary supporter. That’s why I’m here, so I can tell you about the day he was born. At the time, I was a Michigan state trooper. When I went into labor, the hospital put my gun in an off duty safe. I didn’t argue. I know common sense gun policies save lives.
The weapon that murdered my son fires 30 rounds in one minute. An Orlando city commissioner pointed out the terrible math. One minute per gun to fire so many shots, five minutes per bell to honor so many lives. I’m glad common-sense gun policy was in place when Christopher was born, but where was that common sense the day he died?
I never want you to ask that question about your child. That’s why I support Hillary Clinton.
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