--- title: DNC: Family and Friends of an Orlando Victim to Speak description: Friends and family of a victim of the Orlando shooting will speak Wednesday at the Democratic convention to speak about gun violence. canonical: https://time.com/4426865/dnc-orlando-victim-speakers/ author: TIME Staff article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-07-27T20:50:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-06T09:44:13.902Z article:section: Politics og:title: Family, Friends of an Orlando Victim Speaking at Convention og:description: About gun violence. og:url: https://time.com/4426865/dnc-orlando-victim-speakers/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9dcd5ac557d56ab6/69889fd40b72e32c4a6ea699/christine-leinonen.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2845 og:image:height: 1600 og:image:alt: Orlando Continues To Mourn The Mass Shooting At Gay Club That Killed 49 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Family, Friends of an Orlando Victim Speaking at Convention twitter:description: About gun violence. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9dcd5ac557d56ab6/69889fd40b72e32c4a6ea699/christine-leinonen.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Family and Friends of an Orlando Victim to Speak at the Democratic Convention > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=916f977d-d1c6-45ef-b47c-3de0bc2990e4&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: The Emotional Speech From an Orlando Victim’s Mother [Watch (HLS stream): The Emotional Speech From an Orlando Victim’s Mother](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/HMfwihrQ.m3u8) (1:15)  _Published 2016-07-28. Christine Leinonen, the mother of Christopher “Drew” Leinonen, one of the 49 victims of the June shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub, said that when she was a state trooper she had to turn in her service weapon when she went into labor with her son._ by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Jul 27, 2016 8:50 PM UTC by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Jul 27, 2016 8:50 PM UTC Survivors and family of victims of the June shooting in Orlando will speak Wednesday night at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia to speak about gun violence. The shooting by Omar Mateen left 49 people dead after he opened fire in Pulse, a gay nightclub, on June 12\. Tonight, his mother, friend and ex-boyfriend will support Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton at the convention and call for gun safety legislation. **Christine Leinonen** Leinonen will be a familiar face to people who watched ABC coverage of the shooting: She was one of the first to arrive on-scene, and in a heartbreaking interview told the world she was waiting to hear the fate of her son, Christopher “Drew” Leinonen. He did not survive. “They said there’s a lot of dead bodies in the club. That it’s a crime scene. They can’t identify anybody. So it could be hours and hours before we find out,” Leinonen said at the time. **Brandon Wolf** Wolf was one of Drew’s friends who texted Christine Leinonen the night of the shooting, when he saw Drew’s ex-boyfriend [“had multiple gunshots and was being taken by the ambulance but he never saw Christopher \[come\] out. And we haven’t been able to call him or text him.”](http://abcnews.go.com/US/mother-man-missing-orlando-club-shooting-breaks-awaits/story?id=39794076) Wolf escaped because he was in the bathroom when the shooting began, the Orlando _Sentinel_ reported. **Jose Arriagada** Arriagada was also [a survivor of the shooting and Drew’s ex-boyfriend](http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/politics/political-pulse/os-mother-of-pulse-victim-to-speak-at-democratic-national-convention-20160726-story.html). He [remained close to him](http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/pulse-orlando-nightclub-shooting/victims/os-christopher-drew-leinonen-funeral-20160618-story.html) after they broke up, and called him his “first love.” The _Sentinel_ reported they met in 2009, and Drew helped teach Arriagada English. The _Sentinel_ reported Drew, 32, was a gay-rights activist and one of the final victims of the shooting to be identified. His boyfriend, Juan Guerrero, was also killed in the incident. Clinton [visited the site of the shooting last week](http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/politics/political-pulse/os-clinton-orlando-visit-story.html), the day she announced Sen. Tim Kaine as her running mate. ## Transcript It takes about five minutes for a church bell to ring 49 times. [ BLANK_AUDIO ] I know this because last month, my son Christopher. His boyfriend one and 47 others were murdered at a club in Orlando. Christopher's paternal grandparents met and fell in love in a Japanese internment camp. So it was in his DNA that love always trumps hate. [ APPLAUSE ] I'm glad common sense gun policy was in place the day Christopher was born. But where was that common sense the day he died. [ APPLAUSE ] I never want you to ask that question about your child that's why I support Hillary Clinton. 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