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On Sunday, Country pop singer Kelsea Ballerini opened the 2023 CMT Music Awards as she paid tribute to Nashville shooting victims. Keep scrolling for more details about her speech.
Kelsea Ballerini Pays Tribute To Nashville Shooting Victims
The singer and songwriter began her speech by mentioning the names of all six victims of the Nashville shooting.
“On March 27, 2023, three 9-year-olds — Evelyn Dieckhaus, William Kinney and Hallie Scruggs — along with Dr. Katherine Koonce, Cynthia Peak and Mike Hill walked into Covenant School and didn’t walk out,” Kelsea began.
Kelsea also recalled similar experiences that have occurred in the U.S. alone.
“The community of sorrow over this and the 130 mass shootings in the U.S. this year alone stretches from coast to coast,” she continued.
Kelsea continued as she told her audience about her painful experience in 2008. She shared that she watched her classmate lose his life in a shooting.
“I wanted to personally stand up here and share this moment, because on August 21, 2008, I watched Ryan McDonald, my 15-year-old classmate at Central High School, lose his life to a gun in our cafeteria.”
Kelsea paid tribute to the victims and admonished her audience to push for a solution.
“I pray, deeply, that the closeness and the community we feel for the next few hours through of music can soon turn into action — like real action — that moves us forward together to create change for the safety of our kids and our loved ones.”
Kelsea Calls For Action Against Gun Violence
Kelsea also took time to sympathize with families, friends, survivors, and witnesses whose lives have been changed through gun violence. She specifically noted that the broadcast was dedicated to them.
“Tonight’s broadcast is dedicated to the ever-growing list of families, friends, survivors, witnesses and responders whose lives continue to forever be changed by gun violence,” she said.
On Monday, March 27, Audrey Hale opened fire at the Covenant School in Nashville. The 28-year-old killed three children and three employees before being fatally shot by authorities from the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department.
President Joe Biden and other celebrities have reacted to and condemned the violence. In a message to Congress, President Joe Biden called for the prohibition of assault weapons. Hopefully, such an unfortunate occurrence will come to an end soon.