Local elected officials and activists rallied Saturday morning at Marian Fryer Town Plaza in Wheaton to demand action on gun violence.
Maryland Del. Jared Solomon (D-18) organized the local rally ahead of the return of March for Our Lives to Washington, D.C. The youth-led organization is set to organize at the Washington Monument from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m., according to a permit approved by the National Mall.
Ahead of March for Our Lives in D.C., local community leaders and activists rally at Marian Fryer Town Plaza in Wheaton to urge action on gun violence. @mymcmedia pic.twitter.com/HKJPHVl5NW
— Michael Hernández (@MHernandezTV_) June 11, 2022
“I’m heartbroken over the mass shootings in Smithsburg, Uvalde, Buffalo, Tulsa and Philadelphia. But, I’m equally heartbroken over the shootings that don’t get national attention,” Solomon said. “Progress is undermined by weak laws in states up and down the East Coast. And, most importantly because of inaction at the federal level. Despite thousands of mass shootings and hundreds of thousands of lives lost, congress has failed to pass meaningful gun safety legislation for nearly 30 years. We deserve better. Our families deserve better.”
Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich said gun violence is a difficult topic to discuss and not get emotional. As a former teacher at Rolling Terrace Elementary School, he recalled having to engage in a “snake walk” with his class when exiting his portable during the D.C. sniper attacks.
Elrich said the county council is not allowed to legislate for control over weapons, but they will continue to explore things they can do, including doubling down on mental health issues. “This county is going to stand with you. We are always going to stand with you,” Elrich added.
The Maryland General Assembly recently passed a bill banning ghost guns. Gov. Larry Hogan (R) opted to sign the bill into law and let it go into effect without his signature. Effective June 1, purchasing, transferring or selling unfinished gun frames or receivers is illegal in Maryland. By March 1, 2023 it will be illegal to possess a ghost gun. Sen. Susan Lee (D-16), a lead sponsor of Senate Bill 387, shouted “enough is enough” at the local rally Saturday. “Let’s do more than thoughts and prayers. Let’s get action. Let’s go and change the laws. We are not going to rest til we pass comprehensive gun safety laws,” Lee said.
Montgomery County Council President Gabe Albornoz shared that he recently had to pull over after hearing a radio interview with the mother of a 9-year-old Uvalde shooting victim. He kept thinking to himself “this is not the world that I want my kids to be growing up in. This is unacceptable and this is happening on all of our collective watches. And, while each of us can’t do everything, all of us can do something.”
Albornoz said elected officials can educate residents at the local level but “until we take action at the national level, there is only so much we can do.” Albornoz stressed that while they are working to ensure on changing the minds of federal elected officials, they also need to work on changing the minds of the constituents of those elected officials.
“We have to have them recognize that we all breathe the same air. We all drink the same water. We all bleed the same way. They love their kids as much as I love mine. And, we have to prevent this from ever happening in our community,” Albornoz said.
“We are not going to put up with this anymore in the United States of America. We are mad as hell and we are not here just to say it, we are here to say we are going to march today and everyday until we change the laws in the United States of America and end this epidemic,” U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen said.
