On Wednesday, fourth grader Miah Cerrillo of Uvalde, Texas, who survived the Robb Elementary School shooting, testified before the US House Oversight and Reform Committee.
Miah survived the shooting that killed 21 people, including 19 students, only by smearing the blood of a classmate on herself and playing dead next to the lifeless bodies of her friends.
Just before Miah testified, Dr. Roy Guerrero, the pediatrician who cared for her in the hospital and had known her for her entire life, also spoke. He shared how he saw children's bodies ripped apart by bullets so badly they were decapitated.
"In this case, you are the doctors," he said, pleading with lawmakers to make changes that he, as a doctor, cannot.
The doctor also spoke about the moment he saw Miah's parents in the hospital. He ran to them to let them know their daughter was alive.
Then came Miah's testimony. In a day of absolutely gutting speeches, hers was perhaps the most stunning.
Miah appeared via a video testimony. The little girl introduced herself before describing what happened during the shooting. She talked about trying to hide before the shooter entered the room.
"He told my teacher goodnight and shot her in the head," she said. She then described how he kept shooting people, including many of her friends.
"I thought he was gonna come back to the room … I put blood all over me," she said, telling how she used the blood of her friends to help her play dead.
Miah said she does not feel safe at school and that she believes school shootings will continue to happen. After Miah gave her testimony, her father appeared in person to speak.
Sobbing, the heartbroken dad said he said he was there because his daughter is no longer the same person after what happened. "I'm here because I could've lost my baby," he said. "Something needs to change."
Following Miah's father were Felix and Kimberly Rubio, whose daughter, Lexi, did die in the Uvalde shooting. "At this moment, we ask for progress … we seek red flag laws, gun background checks," they said. Kimberly also spoke about how she believes her daughter would've made a positive change in the world.
The US stands alone in its frighteningly high rate of mass shootings. There have been at least 288 school shootings in the United States since January 1, 2009. That number is 57 times the number of school shootings in all other G7 countries combined.
In many states in the US, weapons of war can be purchased by simply walking into a store with an ID that says the individual is 18 and nothing more.
