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The mother of a Tennessee teenager who was shot to death while protecting his friends in December is praising President Obama after he mentioned the victim’s name in a tearful and emotional speech calling for more gun control reform.

Tuesday’s announcement on the president’s planned executive action on gun control — which included an expansion on background checks and research in gun technology safety — elicited extreme responses from the nation, many of whom criticized the president for undermining the Second Amendment. But for Zenobia Dobson, the grieving mother of Zaevion Dobson, the speech gave her “peace.”

In an exclusive interview with the NY Daily News, Dobson said she cried tears of joy when she heard the president say Zaevion’s name.

“To know that his actions reached that far … it brought me a sense of peace, that someone would even know my son by his name and that the President would call out his name in a press conference, it is just truly an honor,” the overwhelmed mother said.

“We need stricter gun control laws for many reasons but especially to protect our children,” she said.

She called on those who oppose gun control reform to set aside their feelings and “think about how I am feeling, how we are suffering, think about that.” Obama’s action was long overdue, she said, but very welcome.

Zaevion, a 15-year-old high school sophomore and football player, was killed in a drive-by shooting. When shots rang out, the teenager shielded three fellow students. The girls, all of whom thanked Zaevion and said they would remember him forever, survived the shooting.

“An act of heroism a lot bigger than we should expect from any 15-year-old,” Obama said of the teenager.

In response to Obama’s mention of her son in front of the entire nation, a move that both eulogized the hero teen and placed a focus on just how dangerous current gun control laws are, Dobson thanked the president.

“Thank you for taking this step and for saying what you did about Zaevion,” she said.

Zaevion’s 17-year-old brother has not been able to return to school since the incident. Dobson’s older son, she told the Daily News, is equally affected.

SOURCE: NY Daily News | PHOTO CREDIT: Getty

SEE ALSO:

Tennessee Teen Dies After Shielding Three Classmates From Gunfire

Mother Of Hero Teen Zaevion Dobson Cried “Tears Of Joy” During Obama’s Gun Control Speech  was originally published on newsone.com