A Springfield man who survived the Oregon District mass shooting made his way to Washington to celebrate President Biden signing a new anti-gun violence bill into law.
Ever since the shooting, Dion Green has worked to support victims and stop gun violence.
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President Biden held a news conference while officially signing the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. He called it the first significant gun control legislation in 30 years.
Green was invited to to be part of the event.
“The impact of gun violence is, is a lifetime,” Green said.
Green was in downtown Dayton’s historic Oregon District with his father on August 4th , 2019. A gunman opened fire, and Green’s father, Derek Fudge , was one of nine victims killed.
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“Not in a million years would I think I would lose my father in a mass shooting, he died right there beside me, in my arms, so I am fighting with a purpose,” Green said.
Lionel Bertie helps run a business in the Oregon District. He showed News Center 7 pictures of his niece, who was also at the White House event, working to stop gun violence.
“Not everyone needs a firearm please,” Bertie said.
The new Safer Communities Act allows for enhanced background checks of 18 to 21-year-old gun buyers, allows reviews of juvenile mental health records for potential young buyers and closes the “boyfriend loophole,” making it illegal for people convicted of even misdemeanor domestic violence to by a gun for five years.
Green believes more gun control laws are needed. “This is just the beginning but let it be the beginning of saving lives,” he said.
We are only a few weeks from marking the 3rd year since the Oregon District shootings took place.
Dion Green said it makes him even more determined to keep working to stop gun violence from happening.
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