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Mass shooting survivors to speak at hearing on gun violence

Among those testifying at the hearing is Miah Cerrillo, the 11-year-old girl who survived the Uvalde mass shooting.

UVALDE, Texas — Victims of the most recent mass shooting are expected to be in Washington D.C. Wednesday to speak in front of a House Committee.

The oversight committee will hear the impact gun violence has had on victims from Buffalo, New York and Uvalde, Texas.

At this hearing, they will have experts talk about gun violence, but among those that will testify will be Miah Cerrillo, the 11-year-old girl who survived the Uvalde shooting.

Miah's family has told the story of how she escaped the gunman's massacre, by smearing blood on herself and pretending to be dead as she waited for help to arrive.

"She witnessed too much for a kid. At this time we are trying to get her help," her parents said. 

RELATED: 11-year-old who survived Uvalde massacre struggles to deal in aftermath

Despite all that she's been through, Miah is finding the courage to stand before the House Oversight and Reform Committee to recount the horrible event she experienced.

But she’s not the only one that will speak.

The committee is expected to hear from Uvalde pediatrician Dr. Roy Guerrero and the parents of Lexi Rubio, one of the 19 students killed in the mass shooting. 

"We should feel compelled by their stories, even if we haven’t been touched by gun violence, so we don’t have more survivor stories," said Molly Bursey, the state legislative lead for Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.

RELATED: Uvalde school mass shooting: What we know about the victims

A representative for Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, along with two activist organizations, will also be part of the panel. Their hope for many of these groups is that the federal government takes action.

"We need to pass these measures for the kids in Uvalde and their families and the families in Buffalo and the many mass shootings that occur," said Bursey. 

Because many of these groups said they don’t have faith in our state leaders to take any action.

"We are pinning our hopes. We are looking towards the federal level," said Bursey. "My sincere hope is Congress will listen to the survivors of gun violence."

The oversight committee has sent letters to five manufacturers of semi-automatic rifles for information regarding marketing sales.

They said they want to have a clearer understanding of how it's fueling gun violence.

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