She lost her daughter in a mass shooting. Here's what she will tell parents in Uvalde

She lost her daughter in a mass shooting. Here's what she will tell parents in Uvalde

Transcript¹

Sandy Phillips has spent the past 10 years advocating for gun control, after her daughter Jessi was killed in the 2012 mass shooting in an Aurora², Colo., movie theater.

Phillips and her husband filed a lawsuit³ against the gun dealer⁴, but it was dismissed becausea federal law (the Protection of Lawful⁵ Commerce in Arms Act) shields gun manufacturers and dealers⁶ from liabilty.

They were ordered to pay the dealer's legal costs, too. So they sold their house and moved into an RV, which they use to travel between mass shootings. Phillips has kept in touch with Morning Edition through the years, and co-host Steve Inskeep spoke⁷ with her on Wednesday as she prepares to travel from Buffalo⁸, N.Y., to Uvalde, Texas.

What does she plan to tell grieving family members there? Phillips says her message will be blunt, but delivered with love.

"They want to die right now. They don't want to take another breath. And when we go in and we actually meet with these people, we let them know that we felt the same way," she says. "I tell them that if I'd had a gun in the house, I probably would not be here today.

It's 21 weeks into the year and America has already seen 213 mass shootings

"But ... we did survive, and we did find joy again. And we still miss our daughter and always will. And our lives will never be the same, and neither will theirs."

Phillips notes there's been little progress in gun control reform in the decade since she lost her daughter — despite data indicating there have been 400,000 gun deaths in the United States in that time. Considering the family members of those victims, she estimates thats more than 1.6 million Americans have been directly affected⁹ by gun violence since 2012.

"I want to say it's unbelievable, but it's not," she says of the Uvalde tragedy. "It's predictable. And it's preventable."

Victory, to Phillips, would mean a repeal¹⁰ of PLCAA, a ban on military-style semi-automatic rifles, strong national gun laws and a Cabinet-level office for gun violence prevention.

So what keeps her fighting? It's simple, she says: her daughter.

"Jessi was a kindhearted person and always the one to comfort someone when they were in any kind of trouble, so we've just continued that on to honor her, and to give us a sense of purpose in this world," she says. "And I have to believe we're going to be victorious¹¹, that this cannot be the way and the road that our country takes."

The audio interview was produced by Ziad Buchh and edited by Jacob Conrad.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 aurora   

n.极光

参考例句：

• The aurora is one of nature's most awesome spectacles.极光是自然界最可畏的奇观之一。
• Over the polar regions we should see aurora.在极地高空,我们会看到极光。

3 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

4 dealer   

n.商人，贩子

参考例句：

• The dealer spent hours bargaining for the painting.那个商人为购买那幅画花了几个小时讨价还价。
• The dealer reduced the price for cash down.这家商店对付现金的人减价优惠。

5 lawful   

adj.法律许可的，守法的，合法的

参考例句：

• It is not lawful to park in front of a hydrant.在消火栓前停车是不合法的。
• We don't recognised him to be the lawful heir.我们不承认他为合法继承人。

6 dealers   

n.商人( dealer的名词复数 )；贩毒者；毒品贩子；发牌者

参考例句：

• There was fast bidding between private collectors and dealers. 私人收藏家和交易商急速竞相喊价。
• The police were corrupt and were operating in collusion with the drug dealers. 警察腐败，与那伙毒品贩子内外勾结。

7 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

8 buffalo   

n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛

参考例句：

• Asian buffalo isn't as wild as that of America's. 亚洲水牛比美洲水牛温顺些。
• The boots are made of buffalo hide. 这双靴子是由水牛皮制成的。

9 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

10 repeal   

n.废止，撤消；v.废止，撤消

参考例句：

• He plans to repeal a number of current policies.他计划废除一些当前的政策。
• He has made out a strong case for the repeal of the law.他提出强有力的理由，赞成废除该法令。

11 victorious   

adj.胜利的，得胜的

参考例句：

• We are certain to be victorious.我们定会胜利。
• The victorious army returned in triumph.获胜的部队凯旋而归。