HOUSTON — Southeast Texas knows about the pain the Boulder, Colorado community is going through. It has been nearly three years since a gunman opened fire inside Santa Fe High School.
Rhonda Hart said the heartache of losing her 14-year-old daughter, Kimberly Vaughan, will never heal.
“I’ve really been trying to like ration my fear and my sadness because I know my own milestone of our shooting is coming up in May,” Hart said.
President Joe Biden on Tuesday called for gun reform including a ban on assault weapons after a gunman killed 10 people at a grocery store in Boulder on Monday.
“I need to see the action go with those words,” Hart said. “So there’s hope but maybe I’m a little jaded because I know how tied up it can get.”
Hart has worked with Biden’s campaign to come up with ways to address gun violence during his first 100 days in office. However, she’s disappointed nothing has happened.
“It’s not if the next mass shooting will happen, it’ll just be when,” Hart said.
She admits fear and anxiety kick in every time she hears of another mass shooting.
Wendy Norris, a first responder and chaplain, said grief is intensified after similar events.
“We cannot be stuck by our fears because if we allow the situation like this to control our everyday moves, then that person wins,” Hart said.