Gun-Control Advocates Warn Fight Is Not Over
The fight to keep assault weapons off the streets isn’t over, a gun-control advocate warned Wednesday in Spokane.
Sandy Cooney, western regional director for Handgun Control, Inc., said a movement in Congress is under way to introduce legislation to repeal last year’s ban on assault weapons.
“This is going to move on the fast track,” Cooney said. “What helps us is that public support, especially on the assault weapons issue, is tremendously in our favor.”
Handgun Control, headed by Sarah Brady, wife of former White House Press Secretary James Brady, is the largest gun-control group in the country.
Cooney was one of several speakers during the “Call to End Gun Violence” forum Wednesday evening at Sacred Heart Medical Center.
About 25 people attended the little-publicized event sponsored by Washington Ceasefire, an organization with a mission of ending street violence, in part by enacting stricter gun-control laws.
Fearing strong opposition to gun control in Eastern Washington, organizers mailed notices about the meeting only to people known to be advocates of their cause in order to avoid stirring a protest.
A Walla Walla woman spoke about how the violence that injured her sister and killed her brother-in-law two years ago in San Francisco made her a vocal advocate of gun control.
“So many families are going to be affected before there is a bandwagon,” said Christy Richard, a high school teacher. “That’s sad.”
John Scully was killed two years ago in a San Francisco law firm when a gunman with an assault weapon opened fire. His wife, Michelle Scully, was injured. The couple graduated from Gonzaga University.
“John essentially died shielding Michelle from the bullets,” said Richard, Michelle Scully’s sister.
Richard also mentioned the shooting rampage at Fairchild Air Force Base.
“There are tons of sad stories,” she said. “This community experienced it with Fairchild.”
A National Rifle Association spokesman said earlier that gun-control advocates don’t have answers to deterring violence.
“What we need to do is figure out ways to enforce the laws that are already there and keep the criminals off the streets,” said Brian Judy, the NRA’s Washington state lobbyist.
, DataTimes