Moms Ask Congress to “Have a Heart” On Valentine’s Day; Pass Common Sense Gun Laws
Posted February 14th, 2013 by Kristin Rowe-FinkbeinerOn a day usually associated with candy hearts, red roses and romance, America’s moms will call on Congress to “have a heart” and pass common sense gun laws. MomsRising, the online and on-the-ground grassroots organization with more than 1.1 million members, held a special event at the Lutheran Church of the Reformation with gun violence survivors and featuring a performance by the internationally renowned World Children’s Choir.
I spoke as a mom and as Executive Director and Co-Founder of MomsRising, and I was joined onstage by Lori Haas, Virginia Organizer of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence; Pam Simon, a gun violence survivor with Congresswoman 
Gabrielle Giffords; Senator Kirstin Gillibrand of New York; Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty of Connecticut; Congresswoman Jackie Speier of California; and several other moms moved to speak out on this issue.
Gabrielle Giffords; Senator Kirstin Gillibrand of New York; Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty of Connecticut; Congresswoman Jackie Speier of California; and several other moms moved to speak out on this issue.The rally included performances by the internationally renowned World Children’s Choir, led by Artistic Director Sondra Harnes, and the first-person stories of survivors of gun violence.
We’re on our way to Capitol Hill to deliver MomsRising’s petition with more than 150,000 signatures urging the National Rifle Association (NRA) and Congress to stop blocking common sense gun regulations, and Valentines from people across the country urging Congress to pass gun laws that include:
- Universal background checks for all gun purchases, including gun shows and on the Internet.
- An assault weapon ban, which also limits high capacity magazines.
- A federal gun trafficking statute with real penalties to stop the illegal sales of guns between state-to-state and international jurisdictions.
Later today, MomsRising will be joined by One Million Moms for Gun Control in delivering Valentines to Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy of New York as well.
Earlier this year, MomsRising helped to collect nearly 300,000 signatures on a petition urging Walmart to stop selling high-capacity magazines and assault weapons, like the Bushmaster AR-15 which killed 20 children and six teachers at Sandy Hook. The organization joined several other nonprofits in delivering those petitions to the Walmart in Newtown, Conn.
The critically acclaimed World Children’s Choir, led by Artistic Director Sondra Harnes, has been singing for peace and serving as a voice for children’s interests since 1990. Members of the group range in age from four to 17.
MomsRising’s use of space at the Lutheran Church of the Reformation does not indicate endorsement or sponsorship by the church.
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Posted Under:
Anti-Violence
10 Comments
February 16, 2013 at 10:29 pm by JessicaCan you elaborate on why these proposed “common sense” gun laws don’t include educational/licensing components? We require education and testing before we allow the operation of a vehicle, why not bring that into the equation instead of focusing on restrictions that seem little more than window dressing. Responsible gun owners, and advocates, could surely find no argument against measures insuring that citizens are educated about firearms and that those who choose to own them meet basic safety, storage (especially homes with children etc) and use qualifications. This would go a long way towards ensuring that fewer firearms make their way into irresponsible hands as opposed to expanding a background check system that only ensures guns don’t end up in the hands of, proven, criminals.
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February 15, 2013 at 5:05 pm by Jon LMs. Rowe-Finkbeiner:
On behalf of myself and the tens of millions of law-abiding gun owners, we are insulted and offended at your petition to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.
The men and women of American law enforcement use military-style rifles and high-capacity magazines to provide themselves the best chance of surviving an encounter with an armed and dangerous criminal. These are considered “life-saving” tools. All police officers will correctly admit that the first responder to any criminal attack is always going to be the law-abiding citizen, because the police are “only minutes away,” while the attack is taking place “right now.” Arguing that certain types of weapons belong only in the hands of the police does not in any way make a private citizen safer, but rather places them in greater jeopardy by denying them the most effective means to defend themselves. Criminals tend to be heavily armed and use force of numbers. Individual self-defense is not a game, because the loser will likely be permanently crippled or killed. The potential victim must be able to respond on an equal or greater footing than their attacker(s).
If you have never experienced the unspeakable horror of having a criminal (1) force entry into your own house, (2) point a gun at you in your own house, and (3) fire that gun at you in your own house, neither you nor anyone else has any right to tell someone what they can or cannot own to defend themselves and their families.
If you told a police firearms instructor that you sincerely believe you have no need for a so-called assault weapon or a magazine which holds more than 10 bullets, they would in turn tell you that you stand to have a life expectancy of 5 seconds or less in an actual encounter with a real violent criminal.
Respectfully submitted,
Jon L.
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February 14, 2013 at 4:30 pm by Jon ThomasCommon sense is a room full of first graders voting not to ban crayons for everyone despite a recent rash of wall writing.
Punishing everyone for the acts of a few is just plain stupid and deep in your heart you know this.
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Honora Price Reply:
February 14th, 2013 at 6:46 pm
@Jon Thomas, this isn’t punishment and guns aren’t crayons. Stop being intellectually dishonest if you know how.
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Jon Thomas Reply:
February 15th, 2013 at 1:27 pm
@Honora Price, Being a 40 year old man I have lived through a failed assault weapons ban, I have owned an AK 47 since 1993. I don’t like hunting, I like shooting. I live in the city, I pay $24 an hour to shoot at the range. I should not have incur additional expense and stop shooting every 10 rounds to reload a magazine just because one tenth of one percent of people misused their tools. You would not only strip me of my right to own these tools but you would strip the future generations of america from owning these tools. That is all a firearm is, a tool, hammers don’t swing themselves, bullets don’t fire themselves, a hammer should hit a nail and a bullet should hit a cardboard target, one thing we can both agree on is we don’t want to see either hit someones head. Anything can and will be misused for evil especially in this country. Even a crayon can be misused or would you have my son accept the crayon writing in his locker calling him a jew and oreo because of his mixed race parents? I know it sounds amazing but even after 12 kids had PURE RACIAL HATE written inside their lockers the school has still not banned crayons for everyone. 10 million people have what the uniformed call Assault Weapons, 20 million people have magazines that hold more than 10 rounds, if they were only good for killing then the entire population of america should have been killed in the last thirty days. Punishing everyone for the misdeeds of a few is not the answer, with guns or crayons.
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Were you able to make your deliveries? I went with 1MM4GC & we were turned away – only those going into the Senate building were allowed to make our deliveries of cards & teddy bears.
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February 14, 2013 at 3:36 pm by Kristin da SilvaSo my question to all you ladies out there is how many of you have your conceal carry permit? Any of you? If you do are you strong enough to stand up for that license and firearm you carry? You guys talk about wanting tougher gun laws but let me point out a few things to you. First of all I am a mother of 3. My daughters are 3 and 5 and my stepson is 14. I grew up around guns as my dad had a gun business and so did my husband. We have taught our children from the earliest age possible that firearms are not a toy. My kids have never touched a firearm without asking. They all have their own rifles. When my 3 year old wants to shoot she asks. We took away the mystery of what they are by answering their questions and teaching them. Kids need to be properly educated on firearms. Yes they can kill but so can a bat or a knife.
I got my conceal carry permit to protect my family and I carry 99.9% of the time. I will do anything in the world to protect my kids as will most parents. My husband and I also own our own gun business. Now I am not writing this because what has been going on has hurt our business. We sell firearms as a second job.
When Sandyhook and Newton happened we were devastated and I cried just thinking what if those were my kids. We need to do something about security at our schools. And locking them is not going to be the answer either. A parent can walk into a school with a pistol concealed and start shooting. We need to educate the faculty and staff on how to handle these situations. My husband and I offer free SDA (Self Defense Act) classes to all the school in our area to get them certified for a conceal carry permit. There is also an organization that will come in and train the faculty on how to use any object in the school to fight off an attacker. We need to push for more things like this. We had an incident in our area where local schools were on lock down. Luckily ours wasn’t one of them. But my husband and I were ready to go to the school with our guns and defend the kids there. My kids know that if a bad guys ever comes to their school Mommy will be there with her pistol to protect them. My kids know I carry and after seeing what happened on the news hearing that I would come protect them made them feel better.
Getting rid of high capacity magazines isn’t going to do anything. My little pistol only holds six rounds but let me tell you I can change that magazine awfully quick. It only takes a second to do it. You need to look at the facts of the shootings in the school. Pistols were used with the STANDARD magazine the pistol comes with!!! They didn’t go buy a high capacity magazine for it.
Mental health needs to be the issue. We need to make help more readily available for people who need it and as a society we need to quit pretending and putting our heads in the sand that depression and mental health issues are taboo. We need to reach out to people who need help and steer them in the right direction.
Have any of you ever purchased a firearm? If you have purchased one from a Federal Firearms Licensed (FFL) dealer you know that you have to pass a FBI background check (or NICS check). If you buy from a gun show someone who has an FFL you will have to pass the background check there too. I know Obama talks about the gunshow loop hole. That is where you are at a gunshow and you purchase a firearm from a private citizen. Do you know how many transactions go on daily just from garage sales, sales ads in newspapers and word of mouth? A LOT!!! I understand there would be consequences if you are caught but do you really think that is going to stop them all? NO! Do any of you remember what happened when Obama let the Mexican drug cartel get ahold of firearms from our government? Look if up if you don’t. So you know if you have a felony you don’t pass the background check. So a felon is not going to ask to buy a gun from me. If he/she really wants one she is going to buy one from a private sale. But even if the gunshow loophole there will be a black market just like with drugs.
The assault weapons ban may pass but that won’t mean that people can’t shoot them. People won’t be able to buy or sell them. Manufacturers won’t make and sell them either. That’s all. They will still be out there and there will be a black market for them. Same if the Gunshow loophole passes.
People we need to start with educating ourselves on firearms. Yes they are intimidating sometimes. But if you find the right teacher you can learn to safely use them and be confident. My husband and I are striving to do that. We have tons of women that want to learn to shoot the pistols they have or their husbands have. Kids need to be taught to respect them just like knives and no running with scissors. EDUCATION! EDUCATION! EDUCATION! We also need to deal with the people that don’t have the mental capacity to have one. Passing some of these bans will only create a bigger blackmarket for firearms. That is not the way to do it. The honest gunmen and women who want to protect their family (like me) won’t be to do so. It will be harder and harder for us. Then those that defy the laws and get them off the black market they don’t care if they get caught or in trouble.
Ladies we need to focus on helping our teachers and staff at school learning to defend themselves and the students. No this should not be there job but unfortunately that is what the world has come to. We need to give them this support and let them know there are resources out there for them. Then we need to work on mental health. These were not sane people. I tell you all of this as responsible gun owner and a MOM!! That is my most important role but I will not let someone take my gun away and the ability to protect my kids.
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Honora Price Reply:
February 14th, 2013 at 3:39 pm
@Kristin da Silva – when Nancy Lanza’s son was 14, she could have made all the same statements you just did. We don’t want to take the average gun owner’s gun away. We want to go back to a time of sanity, when gun manufacturers didn’t prey on people’s fears and barrage them with threatening scenarios, all for the cynical – and un-American – purpose of making a buck at the expense of national security and our children’s lives.
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Tom Forrest Reply:
February 15th, 2013 at 6:38 pm
@Honora Price,
What you advocate WILL take the average gunowner’s gun away. Could you PLEASE define what an “Assault Weapon” is based on it’s unique features, and explain how each of these defining features makes such a weapon any different than the “average gunowner’s” rifle?
Thank you.
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Anonymous Reply:
February 15th, 2013 at 10:47 am
@Kristin da Silva,
Here is what Moms Rising, World Children’s Choir, and many other organizations say – and polls show that the majority of the American people agree with this:
• Universal background checks for all gun purchases, including gun shows and on the Internet.
• An assault weapon ban, which also limits high capacity magazines.
• A federal gun trafficking statute with real penalties to stop the illegal sales of guns between state-to-state and international jurisdictions.
It’s time to stand up, and stop what the late Presiden Dwight D. Eisenhauer commander of all the US forces in World War II warned us about – the “military industrial complex.” The munitions industry doesn’t care one bit about your safety, or anyone else’s safety. All they care about is MONEY and POWER.
Assault weapons, any automatice/ semi-automatic weapon, high magazines do not belong in the hands of anyone except police and the military.
We all have to take driver education and pass a test before we can buy a car. We have to buy insurance. We have to register the car. There is no reason that the same process should not apply to those who choose to purchase and have any kind of weapons in their homes and businesses.
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