U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, along with community leaders and local activists, held a National Day of Action rally on gun violence prevention in front of the City-County Building in downtown Madison last night. Yesterday marked a National Day of Action on gun violence prevention, as Democratic members of Congress from across the county took the fight for common-sense gun safety to the streets.
“Since Speaker Paul Ryan and House Republicans will not stand up to the National Rifle Association (NRA) and the gun manufacturers, my Democratic colleagues and I held events across the country today to ensure the voices of the people are being heard,” said Rep. Pocan. “The gun violence epidemic affects our communities every day and it is long overdue for Congress to address this issue. I want to thank everyone who showed up to the rally on this National Day of Action to say enough is enough. Together, we can demand Congress take action to help make our communities safer.”
“Let us have no more moments of silence and only moments of action,” Pocan added. “If we don’t, the blood is on the hands of Congress.
The National Day of Action for Commonsense Gun Violence Prevention comes after House Democrats sat-in for 26 hours on the House Floor last week to demand that Speaker Ryan and House Republicans allow an immediate vote on bipartisan, commonsense gun violence prevention, including universal background checks. Republican Leaders adjourned the House early for the Fourth of July congressional recess, leaving Washington D.C. without bringing these bipartisan gun violence prevention bills to the floor for an up or down vote.
(Photo by Gloria Reyes)
Speakers in attendance included Jackie Millar, gun violence survivor and leader in the restorative justice movement; Everett Mitchell, Dane County Circuit Court Judge and Pastor of Christ the Solid Rock Baptist Church; Veronica Lazo, executive director of UNIDOS Against Domestic Violence; Patrick Farabaugh, publisher of Our Lives Magazine; Michael Johnson, president & CEO for the Boys & Girls Club of Dane County; Terese Berceau, State Representative (D-Madison), and Paul Soglin, mayor of the City of Madison.
“The prayers and thoughts are good, don’t get me wrong but our prayers and thoughts need to followed by reasonable legislation and programs that support the men and women who patrol our streets with sensible gun laws that protect our children and their families,” Johnson said. “It’s time for us to create a comprehensive, collaborative approach to delivering wraparound behavioral and social support services guided by legislation to reduce violence in communities all across America.”
Johnson went on to say that in the last six months he has lost two childhood friends to gun violence. “Two men who were in the prime of their careers. One was a post office veteran and a rising star and the other was a building engineer at a major university,” he said. “Both of these men were killed by someone who robbed their families of a father; robbed their families of their primary provider and robbed their communities of role models.
(Photo by Alder Mark Clear)
“I pray we look at these issues seriously as a community and begin to help our nation protect our next generation from being placed in harm’s way,” he added.
Dane County Circuit Court Judge Rev. Everett Mitchell said that this is not about being a Democrat. “This is about making the common-sense argument that our communities – our children – deserve for us to have the courage to make a stance on the things that matter,” said Mitchell. “And I don’t know about you, Madison, but I believe every child, every community deserves the right to know that they can be safe with common-sense ideas around guns.
Organizations that supported the National Day of Action included Everytown for Gun Safety, Breaking Barriers Mentoring, Inc., Christ the Solid Rock Baptist Church, Our Lives Magazine, OutReach, Moms Demand Action, Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort (WAVE), Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice, and Fair Wisconsin.
