Million Mom March to Protest Local Gun Show Sales in Richmond, Virginia

On October 20 at noon, members of the Richmond, Virginia, chapter of Million Mom March will protest at the gun show to be held at The Showplace on Mechanicsville Turnpike in Richmond. Members will dress in black and lie down in front of the Showplace for three minutes. The number three is significant because one child or teen is killed by a firearm every three hours and every three days America loses the equivalent of a classroom of children as a result of gun violence.

Every year, 30,000 Americans are killed with firearms and more than 65,000 are treated in emergency rooms with firearm injuries. That is the reason my family and I spent Mother's Day 2000 at the Million Mom March (MMM) in Washington, D.C. That day we were among about 150,000 men, women and children of every race, creed and religion all united in one cause. That march began a tidal wave of action across the United States which resulted in a network of 75 chapters across the country. The Million Mom March is now part of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. The chapters work locally but stand united in the fight against gun violence.

The Brady Campaign website states their concern about the loophole in the current federal law that allows unlicensed sellers to sell guns at gun shows: "The Brady Law, however, does not apply to the sale of firearms by non-licensees. Every year, there are thousands of gun sales without background checks by vendors claiming not to need a federal license because they are merely selling from their "personal collection" of guns. Many of these sales take place at gun shows and the problem has become known as the "gun show loophole."

In Virginia, MMM has four chapters, one each in Charlottesville, Hampton Roads, Northern Virginia and Richmond (where I live). The respective Million Mom March chapters work locally in five areas: (1) Federal Legislation and Elections; (2) State Legislation and Elections; (3) Education and Awareness Campaigns, (4) Linking with Victims, and (5) Coalition Building/Outreach.

Federal Legislation and Elections

Million Mom March is currently working at the Federal level to put forth a national initiative to require all new handguns to be child-proofed by 2015. The chapters also work to elect Federal candidates who support sensible gun laws.

State Legislation and Elections

MMM chapters work at the state level to build momentum toward the Federal initiatives and also work to elect local and state candidates to help move forward their legislative goals.

Education and Awareness Campaigns

The Million Mom March chapters offer education for adults about the economic, spiritual and health toll of gun death and injury, including domestic violence, suicide, and unintentional shootings. They also work to educate the public about preventing child gun death and injury by childproofing guns as well as the danger of keeping firearms in the homes. If firearms are kept in the home, adults are encouraged to keep them stored, unloaded, in a locked area.

Linking with Victims

MMM chapters link with those who have been impacted by gun violence in order to offer these voices the opportunity to impact policies at local state and federal levels and to offer them emotional support.

Coalition Building/Outreach

Million Mom March chapters work with other gun violence prevention groups as well as health organization, law enforcement, school groups, religious groups, victims groups and the business community. Chapter activities are more effective when they are connected with many sectors of the community.

The principal tenets of the Million Mom March are that children have the right to grow up free of the threat of gun violence; Americans have the right to be safe from gun violence in their homes, neighborhoods and communities; gun violence is a public health crisis that "harms not only the physical, but also the spiritual, social, and economic health of our families and communities." Further, they believe it is possible to reduce gun deaths and injuries with reasonable, common sense policies.

The National Rifle Association has compiled a 19-page "blacklist" of anti-gun individuals including celebrities, religious organizations and businesses. Some of those on the list which was developed with the intention of silencing anti-gun voices and intimidate those who speak out in favor of sensible gun laws include Maya Angelou, ABC, George Clooney, Spike Lee, Oprah Winfrey, the American Medical Association and many others.

Sources:

Dep't of Treasury/Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Gun Shows: Brady Checks and Crime Gun Traces (Jan. 1999)

Million Mom March website.