Students, faculty and staff from Fairfield University join the March for Change rally on Feb. 14. photo credit: Susan Rodriguez
Stockton, Calif.: 1989. Littleton, Colo.: 1999. Nickel Mines, Pa.: 2006.
These three cities have one common thread, and in December 2012, Newtown, Conn. became the latest addition to this list of mass shootings aimed at children.
The shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, however, has sparked a push for new gun legislation in Connecticut.
On Thursday, Feb. 14, a delegation consisting of Fairfield University faculty, staff and students attended the March for Change rally at the State Capitol building in Hartford.
Started by two Fairfield moms, Nancy Lefkowitz and Meg Staunton, the march was held in support of the enactment of “common sense gun laws” in Connecticut.
The grassroots movement begun by them is the “noise” behind the efforts of CT Against Gun Violence, a group pushing for safer gun legislation in Connecticut. According to their website, this “noise,” or the support of citizens, will force the legislators to take notice and act.
Connecticut currently has some of the strictest gun laws in the nation, according to Byron Wolf of ABC.
These new “common sense” laws that the march supported include a ban on high capacity ammunition magazines and a stronger ban on assault weapons, as well as universal background checks on all sales of firearms. The laws would be a new addition to the pile of pre-existing gun legislation in Connecticut with the goal of preventing another mass shooting in the state.
Almost 5,500 people turned up for the march, according to Hartford police. Many were dressed in white and green in support of Sandy Hook Elementary. Others carried signs bearing slogans like “Enough is enough” and “Change now.”
According to Nicole Davidow ’15, the most striking part of the march was the children who attended the march along with their parents. While they were more interested in the piles of snow surrounding the Capitol, the children were “the face of resilience and the reason why changes for law reform are necessary,” said Davidow.
With a change in the laws, children “can grow up without hate, anger and fear of what harm others can bring to them and their loved ones,” Davidow added. By simply attending the march, the children showed the participants what they were fighting for, she said.
She went on to say that the March for Change was an example for the children of Connecticut. It represented citizens coming together to enact positive change.
However, not everyone is in favor of stricter gun legislation in Connecticut. Samuel Keach ’14 has a concealed weapons permit and occasionally carries a weapon while at home.
“The only gun legislation I am in favor of is promoting the familiarization of the population with firearms,” said Keach. This includes proper training in use, maintenance and storage for gun owners.
He went on to say that prohibiting the sale of assault rifles and high capacity magazines will not protect the population from gun violence. Instead, the law “should make it safer and encouraged for the general population to carry guns,” Keach said.
Many of Connecticut’s elected officials attended the march. Governor Dannel Malloy and Lt. Governor Nancy Wyman were in attendance, as well as Bill Finch, mayor of Bridgeport. Malloy spoke at the event and expressed his support for the safer gun legislation proposed for the state of Connecticut.
Families of the victims of the Sandy Hook shooting participated in the march, as well as the survivors of other mass shootings.
Colin Goddard, a survivor of the Virginia Tech shooting and Stephen Barton, a survivor of the Aurora, Colo. theater shooting were present.
Additionally, members of the clergy offered their own words of prayer and inspiration to the crowd. The march concluded with Reverend Mia Douglas of the Faith Congregational Church in Hartford who prayed, “We are a community of hope, courage and strength … heal our wounded hearts.”
Program Coordinator for the Office of Faith and Public Life, Danielle Corea, and organizer of the Fairfield delegation that attended the march, shared several small things that can be done at home to further the cause.
First, everyone can call their congressman. Using this website put your phone number into their online service and they will connect you to your representative.
Second, Connecticut residents can contact their legislators through email through this website. By putting in their names and zip codes, Connecticut residents will be provided with an automatically generated email.
Recent Mirror articles on gun control:
People (with guns) kill people
Obama’s gun control prop won’t cure
Leave a Reply