I’m thinking this week about a hero and two bystanders.
The hero is my dad, a coach and teacher who was shot and killed 7,619 days ago in the massacre at Columbine High School. The bystanders are Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and our own senator, Cory Gardner.
I’m thinking of how my dad did not die hiding or cowering in fear. Instead, when he saw the shooters attacking, he ran into the school from the safety of the parking lot. He went straight into the cafeteria and jumped on top of tables, frantically screaming at kids to get out. When the shooters arrived at the cafeteria, no one was there — thanks to my dad.
Witnesses say that my dad was running at the shooters when he was shot several times. Somehow, he managed to get back up and enter the science room where several students were hiding. The kids began staunching his wounds, even using their t-shirts to help stop the bleeding. They called 911, who told them to stay put and that someone would be there soon. But nobody arrived for hours. During that time, the kids took out my dad’s wallet and showed him pictures of me, my sisters, my Mom, and his grandkids.
The first thing my dad asked when the SWAT team finally arrived was if all the kids made it out okay. Knowing that my dad wasn’t going to make it, the SWAT team member lied and said yes. My dad’s next words were also his last: “I want you to tell my girls I love ‘em.”
Coach Dave Sanders, my dad, died four hours after he was shot, holding out so long because he didn’t want to die in front of his students. He died four hours after he saved hundreds of kids’ lives. And he’s the hero I’m thinking about today, as I do every day.
I’m thinking of Mitch McConnell for a very different reason: one year ago today, H.R. 8 –– a bill that would require background checks on all gun sales –– passed through the House of Representatives with bipartisan support and landed on his desk. It has sat there ever since, untouched because McConnell has refused to give it a vote in the Senate. During that time, an estimated 36,000 Americans have been killed by gun violence. Twice that many have been wounded. People have been killed in Dayton and El Paso, in movie theaters and schools, en masse and all alone. Still, Mitch McConnell lacks the courage to act.
I’m thinking of Cory Gardner because he has failed us, too. Our state legislature already passed a background check law in Colorado, but guns can easily be brought here from neighboring states with weaker gun safety laws –– which is why we need action at the federal level. But Sen. Gardner won’t even answer questions about H.R. 8, nor does he deny blocking legislation to strengthen the background check system in the past. He hasn’t held a town hall in over two years, leaving Coloradans without any mechanism to engage with him. And instead of listening to the 93% of American voters who support background checks on all gun sales, Cory Gardner seems to be listening to the NRA –– which gave him an ‘A’ rating in his last election, has donated more money to him than all but a handful of other members of Congress, and, perhaps most notably, urged senators like him to oppose H.R. 8.
This shouldn’t be that hard. Nearly all gun owners –– 87% –– support background checks on all gun sales, and there’s a good reason why: they keep guns out of the wrong hands. Twenty-one states already require background checks on all handgun sales, and expanded background checks are associated with decreased rates of homicide, suicide, and gun trafficking. Of the 170,000 sales that were blocked by pre-existing background check laws in 2017, 39% would have gone to convicted felons. Simply put, background checks save lives –– and one year ago this week, they could have become the law of the land with H.R. 8.
That’s why I write now, with my dad in mind.
My dad risked his life by running into an active shooter situation, but Mitch McConnell won’t even allow the Senate to cast a simple vote. My dad screamed warnings from the top of a cafeteria table, but Cory Gardner won’t even answer constituents’ questions about gun safety. My dad died to save hundreds of lives, but McConnell and Gardner haven’t lifted a finger to pass common-sense gun laws that could save thousands.
Fortunately, this November, we have a chance to hold them accountable for their failure. Both Sen. McConnell and Sen. Gardner are up for reelection, and as we approach election day, I will once again be thinking of my dad’s heroism and their complete lack thereof. Because McConnell and Gardner can block a vote in the Senate, but they cannot block us from voting them out.
Coni Sanders is a survivor fellow in the Everytown for Gun Safety Survivor Network. She lives in Colorado.
To send a letter to the editor about this article, submit online or check out our guidelines for how to submit by email or mail.
