MILLION MOM MARCH TO MARK SOMBER ANNIVERSARY
National Desk
August 10, 2009
Washington, DC - On August 10, 1999, a white supremacist opened fire at children, camp counselors and staff at the North Valley Jewish Community Center in Granada Hills, California. That event led to the Million Mom March on Washington D.C. to demand sensible gun laws, held the following Mother´s Day. Activists organized the march in just nine months - "a time frame universally respected by all mothers," said one organizer.
To commemorate the ten-year anniversary of the JCC shootings, Million Mom March Chapters of the Brady Campaign are launching the Mother´s Day 2010 Project, a web based collection of personal stories and commentaries about gun violence. The stories are to highlight the continuing toll gun violence has on this country. The Million Mom March Chapters are also pressing Congress to pass legislation to close the gun show loophole. Bills were introduced in both the U.S.House (HR 2324) and U.S. Senate (S. 843) earlier this year.
"We need to remember the voices that have been silenced by gun violence in the last ten years - and to honor their memory, we need to ensure today that our voices are heard," said Paul Helmke, President of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. "We´re encouraging longtime activists, and new ones, to visit the Million Mom March website and post their personal stories and their thoughts about the importance of reducing gun violence in America."
In 1999, white supremacist Buford Furrow fired more than 70 rounds from an Uzi assault weapon and a Glock semiautomatic handgun, wounding five at the Community Center. He then left and killed a postal service employee in Chatsworth, California. He later surrendered in Las Vegas.
The Mother´s Day Project 2010 can be accessed at www.millionmommarch.org.
The Million Mom March Chapters are a nationwide network of local volunteer activists of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, the country´s largest, non-partisan, grassroots organization leading the fight to prevent gun violence. Chapters work to enact sensible gun laws though federal and state legislation and elections, education and awareness campaigns, linking with victims, and coalition building and community outreach. The Brady Campaign and Million Mom March Chapters are devoted to creating an America free from gun violence, where all Americans are safe at home, at school, at work, and in their communities. Online at www.millionmommarch.org and www.bradycampaign.org.
To commemorate the ten-year anniversary of the JCC shootings, Million Mom March Chapters of the Brady Campaign are launching the Mother´s Day 2010 Project, a web based collection of personal stories and commentaries about gun violence. The stories are to highlight the continuing toll gun violence has on this country. The Million Mom March Chapters are also pressing Congress to pass legislation to close the gun show loophole. Bills were introduced in both the U.S.House (HR 2324) and U.S. Senate (S. 843) earlier this year.
"We need to remember the voices that have been silenced by gun violence in the last ten years - and to honor their memory, we need to ensure today that our voices are heard," said Paul Helmke, President of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. "We´re encouraging longtime activists, and new ones, to visit the Million Mom March website and post their personal stories and their thoughts about the importance of reducing gun violence in America."
In 1999, white supremacist Buford Furrow fired more than 70 rounds from an Uzi assault weapon and a Glock semiautomatic handgun, wounding five at the Community Center. He then left and killed a postal service employee in Chatsworth, California. He later surrendered in Las Vegas.
The Mother´s Day Project 2010 can be accessed at www.millionmommarch.org.
The Million Mom March Chapters are a nationwide network of local volunteer activists of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, the country´s largest, non-partisan, grassroots organization leading the fight to prevent gun violence. Chapters work to enact sensible gun laws though federal and state legislation and elections, education and awareness campaigns, linking with victims, and coalition building and community outreach. The Brady Campaign and Million Mom March Chapters are devoted to creating an America free from gun violence, where all Americans are safe at home, at school, at work, and in their communities. Online at www.millionmommarch.org and www.bradycampaign.org.
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