By State Rep. Stacey Newman (St. Louis, MO) – As a former Million Mom who marched on the front lines with my then 7 year old daughter and 750,000 others on Mother’s Day 2000 in Washington D.C., I could not be prouder of moms once again leading the way to keep our kids safe.
Shannon Watts of Indiana founded One Million Moms for Gun Control a nonprofit that supports common-sense gun laws, in the immediate aftermath – in less than 24 hours after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, on December 14, 2012, which claimed 26 lives—20 of them children.
Their goals:
1) Ban assault weapons and ammunition magazines of more than 10 rounds. 2) Require background checks for all gun purchasers. 3) Report the sale of large quantities of ammunition to the ATF. 4) Limit the scope of concealed weapons laws at the state level.
Shannon Watts, mother of five – courtesy of abclocal.go.com
In true “mom organizing” fashion, her group has morphed into over 75 branches all over the country.
“Mothers will not rest until there is change. The alarm sounded for us after Sandy Hook, the 16th mass shooting of 2012, and now we are going to deliver our elected officials a wake-up call.” said Shannon.
But Shannon knows full well that demanding action takes showing up. One Million Moms for Gun Control will sponsor and co-sponsor several major events in January to demand action on common-sense gun control laws.
In addition, the organization will kick off their second social media campaign that will allow moms to connect across the country called “How do you wear your heart?”
On Saturday, January 19th, moms across the country will creatively express their collective desire for new and stronger gun control laws. Members will be provided with templates for a signature heart, which they can pin over their heart and wear publicly in support of One Million Moms for Gun Control. Moms will be asked to take pictures of themselves wearing their pin and email them to photos@1mm4gc.org, or Tweet and Instagram the photos using the hashtags #1MM4GC #howdoyouwearyourheart #momsdemandaction.
One Million Moms for Gun Control’s New York City chapters will rally at the steps of City Hall in New York City on Monday, January 21. In addition, One Million Moms for Gun Control also announced it will co-sponsor the March on Washington for Gun Control in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, January 26.
Instead of yelling at the television or commiserating with friends on Facebook, Shannon and moms all over the country are demanding action. Join with them. I did and I’m proud.