Women gather in Flourtown to plan campaign against gun violence

Posted 3/14/18

Women applaud at last weekend's meeting of Mothers Demand Action, an advocacy group for gun control. by Stacia Friedman Within days of the Parkland school shooting, I joined the Philadelphia Chapter …

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Women gather in Flourtown to plan campaign against gun violence

Posted

Women applaud at last weekend's meeting of Mothers Demand Action, an advocacy group for gun control.

by Stacia Friedman

Within days of the Parkland school shooting, I joined the Philadelphia Chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, a non-partisan movement demanding reasonable solutions to gun violence. I’m not a mom. But I am a daughter, sister and aunt committed to changing my status from passive observer to activist against mass shootings.

Why now? Why not six years ago when Moms Demand Action first formed in response to the Sandy Hook child massacre? Because the courageous, outspoken students at Stoneman Douglas High School reshaped the national gun control conversation and awakened me from my stupor. They busted the myth that the NRA can’t be challenged. In a matter of days, Dicks Sporting Goods stopped selling semi-automatics and credit card companies, major retailers and corporations distanced themselves from the NRA. Starbucks, Trader Joe’s and other national chains have banned guns in states with open carry laws. I don’t want to watch from the sidelines. I in want to be involved.

When I arrived at my first meeting of the Philadelphia Chapter on Saturday, March 10 at Saint Thomas Church in Flourtown, it took ingenuity to find a parking place. Hundreds of women, of all ages, filled the huge auditorium to capacity. They were sitting on the floor, standing in the rear and rocking babies in their arms. Many were area educators, teachers from Arcadia University and Upper Dublin High School. Still others came from a distance. A retired, silver-haired woman who had driven from Center City told me, “I’m here for my six grandchildren.”

The majority of attendees were first timers like me. Since the Parkland shooting, Moms Demand Action has grown by 115,000 members nationally. More importantly, after years of not being able to get gun safety legislation passed in Harrisburg, the organization is finally making headway. Marybeth Stanton Christiansen, Leader of Moms Demand Action, broke it down for us.

“In between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, our state may as well be Alabama. Pennsylvania has the highest NRA membership of any state in the nation,” said Christiansen.

State Senator from the Fourth District, Arthur L. "Art" Haywood recalled a school shooting incident  several years ago elsewhere that motivated him to urge the his own township, Cheltenham, to divest any and all ties to gun manufacturers. “Look at your 401Ks, your banks, your school boards and demand they divest from the gun industry,” he said. “Make the same demand in Harrisburg of state pensions for teachers and state employees.”

Rebecca Luzi, State Communication Lead of the Philly Chapter of Moms Demand Action, and State Rep. Madeleine Dean spoke about five bills that will be voted upon later this month. At the top of the list is a bill that will require domestic violence abusers to turn in their firearms within 48 hours, as opposed to the current law which allows them to keep guns for 60 days. Sounds like a no-brainer. But, given the Conservative leaning of our state - which helped elect you-know-who - this is an uphill battle.

Other priorities of Moms Demand Action and Cease Fire PA include closing the deadly loopholes in the background check system, promoting gun safety so children will not be at risk, supporting reasonable limits on where loaded guns are carried, and keeping illegal guns off the street.

During the period when they opened the floor to questions, it quickly became apparent that the mothers of Philadelphia want more. They asked, how long are we going to tolerate the insane definition of the Second Amendment? Why are we so afraid of the NRA? Why can’t we ban semi-automatics? You could feel the electricity. These moms won’t be placated with half-measures.

The Supreme Court has ruled that the Second Amendment is not absolute, said Lisa Boswell, a Moms Demand Action leader; gun ownership is subject to restrictions. But research shows that the best way to reduce the deadly toll of mass shootings by semi-automatic weapons is banning high-capacity magazines. Gun manufacturers have found ways around restrictions on semi-automatic rifles themselves. You could’ve heard a pin drop.

The organizers seized upon the moment with a call to action, encouraging the audience to join the March for Our Lives in Washington, D.C. on March 24. If you can’t make it to D.C., march in Philly. Call or write your state representatives because they keep track of their constituent calls. And come to Harrisburg on March 20 for public hearings on SB 501, the bipartisan domestic violence bill that would keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers.

The audience leaned forward, nodding with each suggestion. But it was the last rallying cry that brought them to their feet, cheering wildly. “Vote these NRA Congressmen out of their seats in November!” said Liz Lee, another Moms leader.

As I made my way through the crowd, the silver-haired woman said with a glint in her eye, “We’re going to get him.” I didn’t ask who. The mothers of Philadelphia will not be silent anymore.

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