5,500 attend Connecticut gun control rally
BY Associated Press
Friday, February 15, 2013
2/15/13 at 5:42 AM
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - Thousands of people, including some first-time activists moved by the deadly shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, rallied at Connecticut's state Capitol on Thursday demanding lawmakers toughen gun laws.
Holding signs that read: "We are Sandy Hook. We deserve change" and "Let's get this done," many in the crowd - estimated by the state Capitol Police at 5,500 - said they wanted to make sure their opinions were heard. They said they did not want them overshadowed by vocal gun rights advocates who've successfully defeated gun control measures in Connecticut in the past, such as limits on the size of magazines.
"We have reached a tipping point, Connecticut. Our hearts are broken," said Nancy Lefkowitz, one of two mothers who formed the grassroots organization March for Change and helped organized the Valentine's Day rally.
Republican Senate Minority Leader John McKinney, whose district includes Newtown, has not committed his support to the March for Change group's agenda. He was interrupted by shouts of "pass the law" when he spoke generally about the importance of choosing love instead of a culture of violence in society.
"Democracy is great thing. People can come and march on their Capitol and their elected representatives and say what they say. If people want to heckle, that's fine," McKinney said afterward. "It is an example, though, of why sometimes laws don't get passed. Because people aren't willing to sit down and listen to perhaps another side or other sides and talk with one another."
Original Print Headline: Activists rally at Connecticut state Capitol, demanding tougher gun laws
