Grand Junction Gun Club members held signs and waved at noon today at 7th Street and Patterson Road to protest the escalating epidemic of gun violence in the U.S. and demand sensible gun regulations, like closing loopholes in the law requiring background checks for gun purchases.
The group turned out in response to Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, which organized similar rallies across the country including in Washington, D.C. today. Stay-at-home mom Shannon Watts founded Moms Demand Action on December 15, 2012, in response to the devastating shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in which 20 elementary school children and 6 school staff members were massacred. Moms Demand Action wants state and federal legislators enact common-sense gun reforms.
Gun Violence Protest in Grand Junction
In Grand Junction, protesters stood on the busy corner in front of St. Mary’s Hospital in clear, sunny 80-degree weather holding signs saying “No More Massacres,” “End Gun Violence,” “Background Checks for Guns” and “Whatever it Takes.” The group got plenty of thumbs-ups and honks of approval from drivers passing by, as well as curious looks and even some middle fingers and angry shouts from drivers who didn’t support their efforts.
In the U.S., nearly 8 children are shot and killed every day, and Colorado has the dubious distinction of now being home to a growing list of notorious gun massacres: The Chuck-Cheese killings in 1993, the Columbine High School mass killing in 1999 and the Aurora Theater Massacre in 2012. And the legacy continues: at the same time protesters were holding their signs in Grand Junction today, yet another juvenile male was shot in Aurora, Colorado, resulting in three schools being locked down.
Have you had enough of gun violence in our country? Want to see the U.S. start doing something to reduce these now-common tragedies? To join the anti gun violence cause locally and get word of upcoming gun sense activities in Grand Junction, go to the Grand Junction Gun Club’s Facebook page.
In 2013, the most recent year for which data is available, 46,471 people in the United States died from drug overdoses, and more than half of those deaths were caused by prescription painkillers and heroin. (Source C.D.C.)
Where’s your outrage?
Evan, I get this a lot. “X number of people die from driving cars. Where’s your outrage?” or “X number of people die from taking prescription pain medication. Where’s your outrage?”
The answer is, cars and prescription pain meds, while they can be dangerous, were not designed specifically to kill. Guns ARE designed specifically to kill, and I’m outraged that every Tom, Dick and Harry can get ahold of one or twenty of them, tromp around the streets of this country unfettered with them locked and loaded, and slaughter crowds of innocent people in the course of their ordinary daily lives at work, school, in movie theaters and shopping malls. Yes, I am outraged at that, and if you aren’t, then you aren’t a feeling human being.
Geez. I forget about Chuckee E. Cheese. One massacre is too many, and too many to keep track of is Colorado.