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Mothers remember victims of gun violence
Josey1
Member Posts: 9,598 ✭✭
Get out your barf bags... another MMM function that garners media space. The article was published in the Front Section on the top of Page 3 with a Large Bold Headline. Please note there is no estimate of number of attendees... must have been a small turn-out!Sad thing is the last time the pro-gun movement in CT demonstrated at the Capitol, we received very little press and it was buried away! And we had well over 500 people (closer to 700) in attendance.
Mothers remember victims of gun violence Thursday, January 10, 2002By Matthew Daly Associated Press http://www.rep-am.com/statenews/bhp.htm HARTFORD - Activists pushing for new gun-control laws rang a bell at the state Capitol 195 times Wednesday to remember those who died last year as a result of gun violence.The death toll includes one accident, 76 homicides and 115 suicides, according to the state medical examiner's office. The cause of three other deaths has not been determined.The Connecticut Million Mom March staged the rally in front of the state Capito. It was attended by about two dozen people, including a Newington High School class and several state lawmakers.Considering Connecticut's relatively small size, "the loss of 195 lives to gun violence in one year is a staggering statistic," said Linda Payne-DiSarro of New Fairfield, a spokeswoman for the Million Mom group. "No matter what town, city or quaint little suburb you live in, no one is immune to gun violence."Senate Majority Leader George Jepsen, D-Stamford, called the number of deaths "chilling," and said, "Gun violence rips apart the fabric of our society."The 195 fatalities represent a decline in gun-related deaths in the state, Jepsen and other activists said. A total of 247 people were killed by guns in 1996, and 304 people were killed in 1993 - the year the state approved a landmark assault weapons ban.Jepsen, a Democratic candidate for governor and a longtime gun-control proponent, said the drop is due in part to the state's relatively strict gun control laws."Our message today is that sensible gun control is saving lives," he said.Jepsen and other lawmakers vowed to revive a proposal - defeated last year - to ban or strictly regulate long-range .50-caliber rifles in the state.The weapons, which are powerful enough to knock down helicopters and airplanes, are a favorite of Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network and other terrorist groups, Jepsen and others say."Unless you're worried about the Taliban coming down the street with a tank, you don't need a .50-caliber rifle," said Rep. Michael Lawlor, D-East Haven, co-chairman of the Judiciary Committee. Lawlor called the guns, which are more than five feet long and weigh up to 50 pounds, "cannons without wheels."Robert Crook, a lobbyist for the Coalition of Connecticut Sportsmen, accused the Million Mom group of political posturing.While all deaths are tragic, "Of course, not one of those (195) people were killed with .50-calibers," Crook said.The statistics tell the story, Crook said: There was only one accidental gun death last year, and the largest category by far was suicide."I don't know what else we can do - unless they want a total ban on firearms, which I don't think they can do," Crook said. "I don't know what the solution is."Lawlor said he favors legislation that, at a minimum, would require people who purchase .50-caliber weapons to pass criminal background checks and register the guns. Rifles are regulated more loosely than either handguns or machine guns; they don't have to be reported to the state, and in many cases, no background check is required, Lawlor said.
Mothers remember victims of gun violence Thursday, January 10, 2002By Matthew Daly Associated Press http://www.rep-am.com/statenews/bhp.htm HARTFORD - Activists pushing for new gun-control laws rang a bell at the state Capitol 195 times Wednesday to remember those who died last year as a result of gun violence.The death toll includes one accident, 76 homicides and 115 suicides, according to the state medical examiner's office. The cause of three other deaths has not been determined.The Connecticut Million Mom March staged the rally in front of the state Capito. It was attended by about two dozen people, including a Newington High School class and several state lawmakers.Considering Connecticut's relatively small size, "the loss of 195 lives to gun violence in one year is a staggering statistic," said Linda Payne-DiSarro of New Fairfield, a spokeswoman for the Million Mom group. "No matter what town, city or quaint little suburb you live in, no one is immune to gun violence."Senate Majority Leader George Jepsen, D-Stamford, called the number of deaths "chilling," and said, "Gun violence rips apart the fabric of our society."The 195 fatalities represent a decline in gun-related deaths in the state, Jepsen and other activists said. A total of 247 people were killed by guns in 1996, and 304 people were killed in 1993 - the year the state approved a landmark assault weapons ban.Jepsen, a Democratic candidate for governor and a longtime gun-control proponent, said the drop is due in part to the state's relatively strict gun control laws."Our message today is that sensible gun control is saving lives," he said.Jepsen and other lawmakers vowed to revive a proposal - defeated last year - to ban or strictly regulate long-range .50-caliber rifles in the state.The weapons, which are powerful enough to knock down helicopters and airplanes, are a favorite of Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network and other terrorist groups, Jepsen and others say."Unless you're worried about the Taliban coming down the street with a tank, you don't need a .50-caliber rifle," said Rep. Michael Lawlor, D-East Haven, co-chairman of the Judiciary Committee. Lawlor called the guns, which are more than five feet long and weigh up to 50 pounds, "cannons without wheels."Robert Crook, a lobbyist for the Coalition of Connecticut Sportsmen, accused the Million Mom group of political posturing.While all deaths are tragic, "Of course, not one of those (195) people were killed with .50-calibers," Crook said.The statistics tell the story, Crook said: There was only one accidental gun death last year, and the largest category by far was suicide."I don't know what else we can do - unless they want a total ban on firearms, which I don't think they can do," Crook said. "I don't know what the solution is."Lawlor said he favors legislation that, at a minimum, would require people who purchase .50-caliber weapons to pass criminal background checks and register the guns. Rifles are regulated more loosely than either handguns or machine guns; they don't have to be reported to the state, and in many cases, no background check is required, Lawlor said.