Moms Demand Action group holds advocacy day to end gun violence

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Moms Demand Action had its advocacy day Wednesday as the group of volunteers marched in Columbus to end gun violence.

The goal of Wednesday’s advocacy day was to build relationships with lawmakers and demand common sense safety measures. “We’ve had enough of gun violence,” says Ohio Moms Demand Action leader Kaura Robertson-Boys. “We’ve had enough of lawmakers loosening gun laws that are making us less safe. So it’s time for us to put our voices together and speak out for change.”

Hundreds of participants gathered at Trinity Episcopal Church for a rally, and then marched to the Statehouse. Most wore red t-shirts, but one group was in orange. They represent mothers of murdered Columbus children who know the impact of gun violence all too well.

“No parent should have to endure this pain. It’s horrible,” says Karla Robinson, who lost two of her children to gun violence. “Sometimes I don’t know how I wake up, how I get out of my bed and have the energy to be able to make it through another day.”

LaTonya Nichols also lost two of her kids in shootings: “I feel like until the gun laws are changed, it’s going to keep happening. There’s always going to be another mother that we have to add to our organization. We don’t need any more moms.”

Both moms say the advocacy day is exactly what their children would want them to do: advocate for people who no longer have a voice. “My son wanted to start a program to help young kids before he was murdered. It was actually a surprise for me, but he never got that opportunity,” says Robinson.

Moms Demand Action leaders want lawmakers to understand the impact of gun violence on Ohio communities.

“This is a public health crisis,” says Robertson-Boyd. “Gun violence is an epidemic in America. Here in Ohio, we’re going the wrong direction."

Moms Demand Action is a group with chapters all across the country. Robertson-Boyd says there are 10 million supporters.