Survivors and family members of gun violence victims spoke at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday about the impact the shootings have had on their lives and pointed out that they are now committed to the cause.

One of the most impressive speeches was given by Gabrielle Giffords, a former Democratic congresswoman who was injured in a shooting in her Arizona district in 2011.

Giffords, who was shot in the head while greeting voters, spoke Thursday about her long road to recovery.

“I learned to walk again, one step at a time. I learned to speak again, word for word,” said Giffords, who appeared with her husband, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly.

“I almost died, but I fought for my life and survived,” Giffords said, raising her arm in the air and drawing cheers from the crowd.

She praised and supported Vice President Kamala Harris.

“Kamala can defeat the gun lobby and fight the gun trade,” said Giffords, who opened the Giffords Law Center to track and analyze gun legislation in all 50 states.

Harris, a former prosecutor, is pushing for more legislation to curb gun violence, including reinstating an assault weapons ban. President Joe Biden nominated Harris to lead the first federal office of gun violence prevention in 2023.

Republican candidate Donald Trump has taken a clear stance against gun control measures and downplayed a ban he has imposed on “bump stocks.” These “bump stocks” are attachments that can be used to fire semi-automatic weapons such as machine guns and were used in the Las Vegas massacre in October 2017.

Harris has changed her position on some gun issues. Since becoming vice president, she has moved away from her previous support for mandatory gun buyback programs. The policy, which she supported in 2019 during the Democratic presidential primaries, would force millions of gun owners to sell their AR-15s and similar firearms to the government.

Harris now supports more moderate proposals, such as universal background checks for gun sales.

The other survivors and family members turned advocates each told their stories Thursday, sometimes becoming emotional. Democrats in the arena could be seen wiping their eyes as the words “Freedom from Gun Violence” were projected on a screen behind the speakers.

The activists were led by Georgia Rep. Lucy McBath, who became an activist against gun violence after her 17-year-old son was shot in 2012 by a white man who was upset by the loud music the black teenager and his friends were playing.

McBath said she was prompted to run after the 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, in which 17 people were killed. The Georgia Democrat won the election, capturing a seat in the House long held by Republicans.

“Our losses do not weaken us,” McBath said. “They strengthen our resolve.”

Abbey Clements was teaching second grade at Sandy Hook School in Newtown, Connecticut, when a gunman killed 26 people, including 20 first-graders, in 2012. She described the day and the sounds of more than 150 gunshots.

“I hid in my coats, tried to sing with my students, read to them, drown out the noises. Fear. Crying. Running. I carry that horrible day with me,” Clements said.

As she spoke of the children and colleagues killed, Clements’ voice faltered as she said, “They should still be here.”

Kimberly Rubio, whose 10-year-old daughter Lexi was among the 19 children killed in the 2022 shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, became emotional as she described her daughter’s “smile that lights up the room” shortly before her killing.

Other speakers included Melody McFadden of Charleston, South Carolina, whose mother and niece were both killed by gun violence, and Edgar Vilchez of Chicago, Illinois, who as a high school student in 2022 witnessed a classmate being shot in a passing car. The classmate survived.

Associated Press writer Farnoush Amiri in Chicago contributed to this report.