"Moms Demand Action Are Hard At Work"
Photo courtesy of wovenow.org
The grassroots organization Moms Demand Action is still vigorously fighting for gun reform even after the dust has settled a year after the mass school shooting in Parkland.
These moms took to the Capitol Monday asking for a hearing on Rep. Margret Goods’ bill, HB 135.
Kate Kile, the leader of the Tallahassee MDA group, says they want to make sure lawmakers know how important this issue is to them.
“We continue to show up here in committee hearings, we continue to drive phone calls and emails and communicate with them,” Kile said. “We actively work the session, because we are the local group in Tallahassee a lot falls on our shoulders to show up.”
HB 135 would outline policy in the legislation that requires a background check on every gun sale. This is the group’s second year pushing this agenda and they feel that lawmakers just aren’t being responsive.
MDA arrived at the Capitol on Monday afternoon to deliver more than 8,000 petitions to the speaker of the house and the president of the senate.
“We are asking them to pursue proven data-driven solutions that will reduce gun violence,” Kyle said. “We feel like they’re not listening to us.”
Moms Demand Action has groups in every state across the nation. They are tackling gun reform issues like the arming of teachers, stricter buying laws and many more. Kile says the local chapter is looking to spread their collaboration efforts to work with students at Florida A&M University.
Jaquez Dumas, a sophomore senator in FAMU’s SGA, says he believes it’s time for a change.
“Anybody can just get guns now and you never know that persons mental status. Also, everybody can just claim I was standing my ground,” Dumas said. “It’s nice to see local groups coming together to make a change.”
Student leader and Junior class president Cassandra Clitus says she thinks Moms Demand Action has good intentions and would love to work with them.
“They should definitely be concentrated in the areas that gun violence is very prominent,” Clitus said. “I think they should definitely continue reaching out to college campuses and high schools.”