Hundreds of Chicago moms prepare to rally for gun safety legislation at state capitol
CHICAGO (CBS) – More than 800 moms from across Illinois are getting ready for a fight at the state Capitol.
The moms are part of a coalition that is setting its sights on gun safety legislation. They are on buses from Union Station to rally on Tuesday in Springfield for gun safety legislation.
The moms have a list of demands for state lawmakers – and right now, the only thing in their way is time.
Valerie Burgest lost her son to gun violence in Chicago back in 2013. CBS 2's Ryan Baker and Audrina Bigos spoke to her as she got on the bus.
She's heading to Springfield to continue the fight. "We should not have to live like this, we should not have to lose our loved ones to senseless gun violence," She told CBS 2.
Lauren Harper said the simple task of dropping off her daughters at school became one that was challenging.
"I found myself dropping them off at school, and when they would get out of the car, I would say to myself – sort of mumbling under my breath – 'Don't get shot,'" Harper said, "and it was just such an unsustainable way to feel without actually taking action."
That need for action on Harper's part led her to the group Moms Demand Action - a grassroots movement fighting for public safety measures that protect children from gun violence.
"It's insane that our kids have become numb to this," Harper said.
Harper - along with hundreds of other mothers – is headed to Springfield Tuesday for Advocacy Day, where they will zero in on lawmakers and demand what they say is commonsense gun legislation.
The massacres at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, and at the July 4th parade in Highland Park, will be fresh on their minds.
"We want to talk to our reps and senators about things like safe gun storage," Harper said. "We want to make sure that there's a priority around the gun industry to be sued."
Another bill that the group will be backing would prohibit convicted domestic abusers from owning a firearm.
CBS 2's Marissa Perlman talked Monday with another mom from the group. Natalie Kaplan of Andersonville runs JR Dessert and Bakery in Rogers Park – and now she is baking up something big for Advocacy Day in Springfield.
"I think that's what's really special about Moms Demand Action is that we do show up, everywhere, every time to everything and that's what makes us strong," Kaplan said.
Kaplan said her own family inspires her to fight for something better for them.
"Now that I have children of my own, I can understand what It would be like if something happened to one of them," she said.
Kaplan said she also leaned into the fight after horrific mass shootings – particularly those in Uvalde and Highland Park.
"I really think that we can make a change and we can save a family from going through that," she said.
Kaplan said the state has passed productive gun control legislation in the past, but she emphasized the other bills that are now up for discussion.
"Everyone is committed to something different," Kaplan said. "I am all in."
These moms are on a mission against the dicey obstacle course of politics and time - as the Illinois General Assembly's spring legislative session is set to end this week.
"There's no time for fatigue within the Illinois Assembly," Harper said. "We need them to feel our impatience."
When they arrive in the state Capitol Tuesday, the moms will be taking part in a rally, and will then disperse - meeting with lawmakers in hopes that they could move the needle in this ongoing fight.
