DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — On Tuesday, Georgia Clinicians for Gun Safety held a rally on Emory University’s campus in response to the CDC shooting and the killing of DeKalb County Police Officer David Rose.
GC4GS Co-Founder Sofia Chaudhary led a panel-driven discussion inside the Rollins School of Public Health Auditorium, where she addressed medical misinformation and discussed gun safety.
“This was not an attack on a random facility. It was an attack on the nation’s foremost public health agency,” said Chaudhary.
Former CDC public health advisor Abigail Tighe also spoke during the rally, sharing how her child was on lockdown at the CDC daycare during last week’s shooting.
“We are scared to go to work, we are scared to send our children to childcare, and we are scared to work in the field of public health,” said Tighe.
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Heather Hallet with Georgia Majority for Gun Safety also spoke at the rally, sharing her concerns about gun safety.
“Nobody is safe, and unfortunately, our medical community is also not safe,” said Hallet.
Others, like gun store owner Rome Smith, are weighing in, offering perspective to Channel 2’s Brittany Kleinpeter.
“It’s not the tool; it’s the person wielding the tool… that’s just the truth,” explained Smith.
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The ripple effects of distress and loss are even being felt by businesses in the area.
Sri Thai’s employees shared that the shooting has left its mark not only on staff but also on their bottom line.
“It stinks for me that we’re not busy. But you have to put into perspective that these people just went through something way worse,” said one worker.
What remains clear is that nothing feels certain for so many, but they’re all fighting to find hope and strength amid uncertainty.
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