U.S. Lawmakers Lead Gun Control Rally In Federal Plaza
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Members of Congress from Illinois and elsewhere led a rally in downtown Chicago on Wednesday, demanding a vote on tougher gun regulations, such as prohibiting those on the nation's "no-fly" list from buying firearms.
U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (D-IL) has said she's tired of seeing moments of silence in Congress after mass shootings like the Pulse nightclub massacre in Orlando, but no action to strengthen gun control laws. At a rally on Federal Plaza, Kelly led her colleagues in vowing that the recent Democratic sit-in on the House floor was by no means the only action the country will see on gun laws.
"We are carrying on the fight to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people. The only way we can win this fight is by building a movement," she said.
Maria Pike Davis, who lost her son Ricky to gunfire in 2012, said there must be a movement to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people.
"Regardless of creed, race, gender, status, and geographical location, the blood that runs in our veins is the same color, and it is the one we must not allow to run on our streets. These are lives. These are lives that matter," she said.
U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD), the number two Democrat in the House, quantified those who die by gunfire each year.
"If we had a minute of silence for every one of those 32,964, it would take us 91 days and 4 hours of legislative time to recognize each of them," he said.
Hoyer said what's needed is not silence, but action, and U.S. Rep. Bill Foster (D-IL), a physicist, agreed.
"You do not have to be a scientist to understand that anyone who belongs on the no-fly list should not be able to purchase firearms," he said.
Advocates were trying to mount similar demonstrations across the country.