LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — No parent should have to live with the loss of a child.
"We shouldn't even be here," One Arkansan said during Saturday's National Day of Remembrance memorial. "We shouldn't be sitting on these steps. We shouldn't be in a predicament where voices that were once here, hands that were once held, are not heard and can't hold."
During the National Day of Remembrance, family members and parents gathered to shine a light on gun violence awareness and what they seek from lawmakers in hopes of a solution.
Through the Central Arkansas Chapter of Parents of Murdered Children, a select number of speakers took to the podium at the Ark. State Capitol to share their stories of losing a loved one — showing solidarity with those dealing with similar circumstances.
"We laughed, cut up, and then she left the driveway and yelled, 'I love you, my beautiful mommy. I'll see you later.' Little did we know that was our last goodbye," one speaker said at the memorial.
According to a report by EVERYTOWN, Arkansas has the weakest gun laws in the country and has one of the highest rates of gun deaths in the nation—leaving many wondering where the state is falling behind on the eight ball.
"We're writing letters to our local government officials so they can know how we've been impacted by gun violence... violence in our community," Unity Nelms said.
Arkansas Crime Victims Reparations Chairwoman Bilenda Harris-Ritter said it takes everyone to evoke change.
"We're just trying to come together as one so we can see how we can fix this because we're losing too many of our children," Harris-Ritter said.
In addition to organizations, community leaders and advocates for change like Nelms and Coffy Davis work towards the end goal of making it to Washington, where they hope to make their voices heard.
After losing her son to gun violence last December, Nelms uses her experience and voice to advocate for individuals with similar experiences. She said that it takes lawmakers and push from state officials to truly see improvements when it comes to gun violence in the Natural State.
"Holding people accountable for how these guns are getting into our community," Nelms said. "The people that are bringing these guns into our community need to be held responsible because they're just as responsible for my son's death as the person that killed him."
Davis serves as the bridge between connecting grieving mothers and lawmakers. As a community advocate, she works to implement ideas and goals to state leaders in hopes of stopping the issue of gun violence early on.
"We can connect and go out here and try to reach these kids before things happen," Davis said. "To get them some social, emotional learning, some emotional intelligence, some trauma-informed care, some vital things that they need to make sure that they know how to deal with conflict and crisis."
Saturday's event served as more than remembering the lives of those who fell to acts of gun violence. It was a cry for change—seeking justice so no other parent has to live with the heartbreak of losing a child.