I’ve seen, felt what guns can do

I am a registered nurse of 42 years. I have seen firsthand the effects of gunshot wounds on children and adults. As a former surgical scrub nurse for a prominent neurosurgeon in central Ohio, I have been called to the hospital at all hours of the day and night to assist in the operating room when a patient has sustained a gunshot wound to the head.

I have seen human brains swell up and out of the skull due to gunshot wounds; the patients all died.

I have had children’s brain matter on my hands in the operating room because there was so much trauma. We are well past the point of doing nothing to stop gun violence. Congress has the power to pass gun safety laws that will protect Americans. The time is now.

Rob Portman has the opportunity to leave office on a positive note by voting for gun safety legislation, instead of leaving office with a legacy of only being owned by the NRA and having the blood of Americans on his hands. Sen. Portman was able to see the light on LGBTQ legislation when his son came out to him as gay. This is no different...it’s just that his family members have not been directly impacted by gun violence.

Francia Manukian, Pickerington, OH