Two Sides: Gun Show & Anti-Gun Violence Rally Held In Mass.
BOSTON (CBS/AP) — A week after gun rights advocates in Massachusetts joined a nationwide rally, advocates favoring legislation to reduce gun violence gathered on Beacon Hill.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Kim Tunnilciffe reports on the rally
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State Rep. David Linsky of Natick and U.S. Rep. Ed Markey addressed a Saturday rally by the Boston area chapter of the One Million Moms for Gun Control outside the Statehouse.
"All of us have a message. The NRA stands for not relevant anymore," Markey told the crowd.
More than 100 moms joined to rally.
"We are trying to mobilize as mothers to say this is not okay. Gun violence rates are too high. Something needs to be done. Someone needs to speak up," said Molly Malloy, co-leader of Boston's One Million Moms for Gun Control.
Linsky, a former Middlesex County prosecutor, is the lead sponsor of legislation to require liability insurance for gun owners, among other proposals to tighten state gun laws.
He and other supporters of the bill filed last week say it would give those injured by a weapon a legal recourse, and create financial incentives that could reduce accidents and fatalities.
Other proposals are also being introduced after the shootings at a Connecticut elementary school last month that killed 20 children and six adults.
In the meantime, large crowds of gun enthusiasts showed up for a gun and knife show in Marlborough.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Kim Tunnicliffe reports on the gun show
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Show organizer Newman Chittenden says he expected the large turnout, in part because of the push for stricter gun laws.
"People are in a panic mode. There is a lot of panic buying," he said. "People in this line are most likely concerned about the administration in the White House as well as the state of Massachusetts. They're worried about not being able to buy a firearm in the future."
Chittenon emphasized that the majority of gun owners are law-abiding citizens. He says in many cases, the people who make headlines for gun violence are mentally ill or criminals, and that stricter gun laws won't change that.
Organizers also say they had at least 50 new members sign up for the N.R.A., which is more than five times what they see at a typical show.
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