In the midst of violent shootings rocking the nation, The House Oversight Committee held a hearing on gun violence on Wednesday.
It was hard to stay dry-eyed while listening to the graphic, pre-recorded video testimony of an 11-year-old girl who had survived the shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, where 19 of her classmates and two teachers were massacred.
Miah Cerrillo, accompanied by her father, told the Congress how she covered herself in the blood of her dead classmate in order to appear dead.
Her fourth-grade class was watching a movie with their two teachers. One of the teachers received an alert on her phone about an active shooter in the building. Her teacher approached the door, saw the shooter in the hallway, locked the classroom door, and told the children to hide.
The gunman was able to enter the classroom, and threatened the teacher. According to Miah, he said, “goodnight,” shot the teacher and some of her classmates.
“He shot my friend that was next to me,” she said, “and I thought he was gonna come back to the room so I grabbed blood and I put it all over me.”
She played dead until she was able to grab the teacher’s phone and she called 911.
Miah in her interview told her listeners that she didn’t feel safe in school anymore.
Miah’s father, Miguel Cerrillo, overcome with tears, begged the Congress to do something about keeping children safe in school. He is a father of five children.
The hearing also included testify from survivors of the recent mass shooting in Buffalo, NY.
In spite of efforts by some members of Congress, gun violence solutions appear to be stalemated.
On Wednesday, the House of Representatives voted 223-204 and passed the “Protecting Our Kids Act.” It is expected to play dead in the Senate.