Group of diverse people standing together outdoors, smiling, with columns and a building in the background.

Behind Every Headline is a Real Person—and a Future Worth Protecting.

Survivors of mass shootings, photographed and heard in their own words.

Garnell Witfield, Survivor of the Buffalo, MI mass shooting.

Tops Super Market
Buffalo, NY
2019
After surviving the Buffalo mass shooting, I’ve devoted my life to advancing faith, hope, and love—for everyone.

Black and white portrait of a woman with long, wavy hair, smiling and looking to the left, with her hand resting on her neck.

Route 91 Harvest Music Festival
Las Vegas, NV
2017
By sharing my story, I aim to empower fellow survivors of gun violence to seek healing and confront PTSD with resilience. Putting a face to the victims underscores the urgency of our conversations and fuels advocacy for a safer future.

Lacey Vanlandingham, survivor of Allen, Tx mass shooting.

Allen Mall
Allen, TX
2023
I’ve come to learn it's not a matter of IF a mass shooting will impact you or someone you know personally, but when. After a year of feeling alone and isolated in the aftermath of surviving a mass shooting in my hometown, March Fourth brought me such immense hope that change is possible. I was able to see first hand how our stories can shift our elected officials opinions and I found a community of other survivors that for the first time, made me feel like there was a purpose to all the trauma.

Dion Green, survivor of the Dayton, OH mass shooting

Oregon District
Dayton, OH
2019
After losing my father in the Dayton mass shooting, I created The Fudge Foundation to support others affected by trauma and violence and advocate in his memory because even in profound sorrow, healing—and hope—are possible.

A family of three at a church, including a man in a suit, a woman in a polka-dot dress, and a young girl in a white dress with a floral headband, standing in front of a crucifix.

Godparents and Aunt & Uncle of Jackie Cazares, Uvalde, Texas Victim, 2022
Our beautiful niece - our Goddaughter- should be celebrating life with her family. Her life was short, her death preventable-in her honor we advocate to prevent another beautiful life-taken too soon.

Black and white portrait of a woman with shoulder-length wavy hair, wearing a black shirt and a pearl necklace, smiling softly at the camera.

Highland Park Parade
Highland Park, IL
2022
I am grateful March Fourth exists. We are working together to prevent these tragedies and advocating for laws that will end mass shootings. This means safer schools, parades, grocery stores, concerts, and places of worship. It means a safer country for us all.When a 21-year-old with a legally obtained assault weapon shot down into the crowd from a Second Street rooftop, the joy at our town’s 4th of July parade turned into fear, and my three young children suddenly turned into mass shooting survivors.Instead of waiting for tragedy to force change, I am committed to change that prevents tragedy.
Just 7 days after surviving the mass shooting, I met with lawmakers in DC, attending briefings at the White House, and uniting other survivor communities to demand change.I want to drop my kids off at school without the intrusive thoughts that creep in.
I want to tell them they’re safe from assault weapons in public spaces and believe it myself.
I want them to enjoy a 4th of July parade again — not just without fear, but with joy.
And I want that for your children, too.

A woman with shoulder-length hair smiling at the camera, wearing a dark blouse and a statement necklace.

Covenant School
Nashville, TN
2023
On March 27, 2023, a heavily armed gunman stormed my children’s elementary school in Nashville, TN, killing six people—including three nine-year-olds—before losing their life, as well. My son was frozen in fear, crouched in his second-grade classroom just steps from where most of the assault took place. My daughter, then in fourth grade, was among the children photographed walking hand-in-hand as they were evacuated from the building—an image that came to symbolize the horror of that day.

A woman with long blonde hair sitting indoors, resting her chin on her fist, smiling slightly at the camera in black and white.

King Soopers Grocery Store
Boulder, CO
2021
On an ordinary Monday, my world shattered with a single phone call.There was an active shooter at the grocery store in my hometown of Boulder, Colorado, and my Dad was shopping there. For twelve agonizing hours, we held onto hope. Then came the confirmation—he was one of ten people killed.I was six months pregnant with my first child when everything changed in an instant.In the aftermath, I found myself navigating grief while bringing new life into the world. As a journalist, I began to do the only thing I knew how: tell the truth. I started listening more closely to others whose lives had also been shattered—by trauma, by gun violence, by sudden loss. That listening led to a podcast. A way to map the massive, often invisible web of pain mass shootings leave behind. Through it, I found healing, connection, and purpose. Turning pain into purpose doesn’t erase the grief—but it transforms it. And it’s an honor to carry these stories, and to be a voice for hope and change.

'The more we listen, the more we understand. The more we understand, the more we can do—together.'

Our Shared Purpose

Mass shootings are normal in America, but they shouldn’t be.
These stories help us understand the real cost—and the real opportunity to do better.
We believe safety and freedom can coexist. And by listening, learning, and acting, we can make it so.

“Their story reminds us what’s possible when we come together.”

Help Prevent the Next One.

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Support This Work

March Fourth is a nonpartisan movement creating common ground solutions to prevent mass shootings—supported by people across the country who simply believe in protecting what matters most.