Hundreds march, rally in Newtown to end gun violence
NEWTOWN — Every night when Sandy Hook shooting survivor Maggie LaBanca goes to bed, she said sleeps under the covers — even during long, hot summers.
She said she curls up in a corner of her bed. She keeps a bright light on so she can see every crack and crevice in her room.
“If a shooter is hiding somewhere, I can see them. Before I bury myself under the covers, I take a quick scan of my room. Then I scan again ... That’s my life now,” said Maggie, a Newtown High School senior Friday evening to several hundred people at a march and rally for action at Edmond Town Hall in Newtown.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn, and Dave Stowe, vice chairman of the Newtown Action Alliance, were among those who spoke at the event on Friday— which was held to mark June 3 as National Gun Violence Awareness Day.
As was evident by the majority of the crowd and speakers, the day has been designated WearOrange Day.
A sea of bright orange T-shirts — many with words such as “National
Gun Violence Awareness” made a sharp statement.
Several people held up posters and banners, including some very young children, who held a sign that read “Save our Kids.”
Maggie, who was 8 years old on the day of the Sandy Hook shooting, made eye contact with the crowd as she told them to “please fight and please work for change.”
Also speaking at the event was Mark Barden, father of Daniel Barden, who was killed in the Sandy Hook shooting.
Barden spoke sharply against possession of firearms.
“The No. 1 cause of death for children in
America is gun violence,” said Barden. “Having a firearm in the home, even when it’s properly stored, doubles your risk of becoming a victim of homicide and triples the risk of suicide. When people are considering purchasing a firearm for protection, they really need to be aware of this reality and not the myth that guns keep us safer.”
He said it’s now time for people across all political party lines to vote and make their voices heard.
“The time has come for all decent Republicans, Democrats and independents to stop looking at a party affiliation, and actually vote on real issues like gun violence prevention,” he said.
Blumenthal, who blended in with the sea of orange shirts, said America is saying action must be taken for stricter gun prevention laws.
“The killing must stop,” he said.
He added the president of the United States will continue “to push, to advocate, to demand, beyond just requesting — demand, that the United States Senate meet its obligation, seize this moment, do its job, because we need action now.”
Blumenthal said he last spoke in Newtown on May 26, at a vigil for Uvalde at Trinity Episcopal Church. The community came to the vigil to remember the 19 children and two teachers killed in the mass shooting at an elementary school in Texas on May 24.