Hundreds Walk on Brooklyn Bridge for Gun Control: Demonstrators Supported by Newton Residents Connected to Sandy Hook Shooting, Michael Bloomberg
More than 1,000 demonstrators demanding changes in gun control laws marched on the Brooklyn Bridge Saturday in New York.
Among the large group of marchers was almost 100 residents from Newtown, Connecticut, site of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.
Organized by several groups, including former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's Mayors Against Illegal Guns, Moms Demand Action and Everytown for Gun Safety. Bloomberg has become one of the most vocal and visible persons in the gun control debate.
Chanting "Not one more!" demonstrators began organizing in downtown Brooklyn and moved towards Manhattan while crossing the iconic bridge. They held signs that said, "Why are our kids dying while Congress does nothing?" Many cars beeped their approval as they passed the marchers.
"We have to stop the madness," Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., said. "Too many people have died, and too many lobbyists have lied."
The march ended near City Hall with a rally. The founder of Moms Demand Action, Shannon Watts, and actress Amanda Peet urged the crowd to go to their local officials and demand stricter gun regulations.
Since the Sandy Hook shooting, gun control supporters have tried unsuccessfully to increase the federal level of gun control. Some states, however, have succeeded in increasing their level of regulation.
"I want to see our laws protect our children, not our gun lobbyists," said Andrew Morosky, 48, a Newtown resident whose children were friends with some of the 20 students who were killed along with six educators. "After what happened, I felt like I had to do something. I sat on the sidelines for too long."
This is the second annual march for the groups. It comes just after a deadly rampage in Las Vegas, a high school shooting in Oregon and a shooting at a Seattle university.
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