Andrea Chamblee got into politics after her husband, sports reporter John McNamara, was killed in the Capital Gazette’s newsroom in 2018. McNamara was one of five staff members murdered.

June 28 marks the seventh anniversary of the shooting.

In an interview with the Capital Gazette, Chamblee, an outspoken critic of gun violence and the District 5 member of the Howard County Board of Education, said McNamara’s “resonant” voice, “shockingly blue” eyes, loyalty and wit made her fall in love with him. She said her late husband was a great listener and always made sure people felt welcome.

Seven years since McNamara’s death, Chamblee wants to bring gun safety-related policy to Howard County Public Schools.

This transcript has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

What emotions come up at this time of year for you?

It’s not the same every year. Last year wasn’t as hard as this year seems to be. So it waxes and wanes, and I think it’s going to be like that for the rest of our lives.

And so you think it’s just (going to be) that up and down from year to year, depending on what’s going on?

Yeah. Different triggers. And also with the school board, like twice a week, there’s a shutdown for gun scares in Howard County. It’s usually just some troubled loud-mouthed kid with no weapons saying he’s got one or writing that he’ll find one and bring it. So thank goodness it’s not actually a mass shooting. But we get a text every time that happens.

Tell me how it feels to receive those texts.

Well, I know school isn’t as safe a place as it used to be, that I remembered. Not just easy access to weapons in the home — and District 5 in Howard County, there’s more weapons per household than many other places in Howard County. One of the reasons I ran was because I want to bring safety into someone’s orbit that doesn’t feel safe right now. Whether they’re gay and they don’t think they can come out or whether they’re being bullied or whether somebody’s threatening a weapon, I want to see what I can do to make them feel safe at school.

Are there any specific (gun safety) policies that you’re really interested in pushing?

I’m still exploring the options. I mean, a lot of people want the kids who are making these threats just expelled for life. But that just creates a whole other problem with that child. That child doesn’t leave the neighborhood. They don’t lose the opportunity to threaten people because they’re not at school. So we have to find a way to get inside that kid and find out what’s going on to have them make that threat. Do they think it’s funny? Do they feel threatened at home? Do they feel bullied and defenseless themselves? And in these austere budget times, there’s not a lot of money to put into having someone who knows what they’re doing sit down with these kids and ask them what’s going on. And talk to their parents and say, ‘If you have guns in the home, will you lock them up? Like right now?’

Was(safety) a major reason that you decided to run for the Board of Education?

Yes. My delegate (Trent M. Kittleman) lost her race to a gun safety advocate. Yay. And then she decided to run for school board. She started a chapter of a group of people (Moms for Liberty), that the Southern Poverty Law Center called a hate group. And I thought she couldn’t do much damage as one delegate and a minority party in Annapolis. But as one member of a seven-member school board, she could do a lot of damage. I was going to stand in her way and see what I could do.

And, talking about your (gun safety) advocacy, was it easy to transition into activism after John’s death?

No.

Tell mewhat that experience was like.

Well, every time I spoke before the legislature or something, I would relive that moment. The waiting. Was it six hours? … Until 10 o’clock, when (the police) showed up at my door. The waiting. I just remember that awful, awful feeling of waiting.

That must have been really hard.

And that’s what I think these kids on lockdowns must be going through. The waiting. Is everybody okay? Where’s my best friend?

And since becoming a (gun safety) advocate, have you noticed progress?

I mean, our politicians are getting shot. I have a dog and a 24-hour alarm and a gun in my house. It’s locked up. I mean, the buzzer, the shrill buzzer that’s going to wake up the neighborhood will be better.

But no, the Supreme Court says money is speech and guns have rights. And now we’re kind of a hellscape of our country because our richest people are dictating our gun safety laws. And I guess that does bring us back full circle because that’s — We have to fight it. People in history have fought a lot worse than this. And I hope we can outlast them one more time.

Is there anything else you want to add that I didn’t ask you about?

Well, it’s timely that this comes out at the seven-year mark. But we average two mass shootings a day in this country. And that’s just the mass shootings. It’s the number one cause of death and injury for young people in America. When it was swimming pools, we made people put fences around pools.

When it was automobiles, we made people put seatbelts on and shatter-proof windshields and speed limits. And we did all the things that didn’t stop anybody’s right to travel.

We need to take back our safety on every level.

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