Natasha Christopher experienced the kind of tragedy no mother should endure.

“My 14-year-old son was murdered nine years ago. His case still unsolved and I get up every day reliving that painful day that that happened to me and my family,” Christopher told NY1.

On June 27, 2012, Akeal Christopher was on his way home from a party in Bushwick when police say he was shot in the head. He died two weeks later on his 15 birthday.

“When is enough enough?" Christopher pleads. "It’s gonna take all of us coming together.”

Christopher attended the unveiling of a new memorial in Battery Park on Tuesday. It was created to bring attention to what many see as a scourge to society. One-thousand-fifty vases filled with white flowers now line the lawn, representing 1,050 lives lost to gun violence in New York last year.

Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords lent her voice to the unveiling. She became an advocate against gun violence after suffering brain damage from an assassination attempt ten years ago.

"I've seen great courage when my life was on the line," said Gifford. "Now is the time to come together, be responsible, Democrats, Republicans, everyone."

New York Congressman Hakeem Jeffries says New Yorkers must stay vigilant in the fight against gun violence and turn to their neighbors for strength.

“The absence of hope in community after community often leads to the presence of violence because of the flood of guns that exist,” Jeffries said. “So we need to address the gun issue and also address the absence of hope.”

Democrats have been pushing to require universal background checks, which they believe will reduce gun violence. But Republican leadership has accused Democrats of wanting to make gun ownership more difficult than ever.

House Democrats say they're urging Senate Republicans to take up comprehensive gun legislation to put an end to what they believe is an epidemic.