Hannah Beardsley teacher attends D.C. rally on gun control after experiencing Highland Park parade massacre on July 4

Abby Brosio, a science teacher at Hannah Beardsley Middle School in Crystal Lake, was a witness to the shooting on July 4 in Highland Park and traveled to Washington, D.C., this week to rally in front of the U.S. Capitol and to meet with Congressional representatives to advocate for stricter gun laws.

Brosio was quoted in a USA Today article as one of several speakers during a rally Wednesday speaking about their experiences.

“I am unwilling to let what happened to my family, to my babies, on one of the most celebrated national holidays, a day that represents freedom, be another thought and prayer,” the mother of two children said in the story. “I hope you’re uncomfortable. Change is uncomfortable. Let’s begin.”

Brosio hustled her one-year-old boy to safety inside Gearhead Outfitters.

Brosio’s husband, Tony, was working as manager at the store, and they were trying to let in as many parade attendees as possible during the shooting.

Seven people were killed and more than three dozen were wounded in the attack, during which Crimo opened fire on hundreds of parade attendees.

“My family doesn’t feel free to feel safe really anywhere anymore,” Brosio said in a Facebook post dated July 9. “I am a proud mother, wife, daughter, sister, and friend. I am a proud teacher. I am disgusted to now say I am a survivor of gun violence.”

Brosio added that she had apologized to her middle school students on the last day of the school year, following the shooting at a school in Uvalde, Texas, because “the adults haven’t figured out how to keep them safe.”

Local teachers have spoken out at several rallies in McHenry and Kane Counties over the past few weeks, in cities such as Crystal Lake and St. Charles, demanding stricter gun control laws to stop the cycle of deadly shootings in the country.