JACKSONVILLE, Fla – A group of moms wore red Monday while marching in Jacksonville’s MLK Day Parade to draw attention to gun violence.
The rally followed a violent weekend in Jacksonville with no less than six shootings.
“We’re just tired of all of the shootings," said Deirdre Beck, data leader with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. "There’s a lot that can be done to prevent them, and we just want to draw attention to that. That’s why we’re out here.”
Beck said that as a mother of two children, she would like to see more gun owners taking care of their weapons.
“Gun owners could be more responsible with their guns and instead of leaving them in their cars to get stolen they could store them locked and unloaded and separate from their ammunition,” Beck said.
She also wants to see changes with background checks.
“We could close the gun show loophole, which allows people to buy guns without a background check,” Beck said. “Background checks are extremely popular: 90% of Americans would like to see expanded background checks. They can save lives. That’s a message that we, as Moms Demand Action, would like to get out there.”
Beck was citing numbers from a Washington Post-ABC News poll in September that found 89% of respondents across party lines would support requiring background checks for all potential gun buyers.
The Moms Demand Action group met at the Prime Osborn Convention Center before being shuttled to the parade, where they joined the march.
Beck said those interested in getting involved with Moms Demand Action can text “Ready” to 64433 to be connected with the local group or visit momsdemandaction.org for more information on the national organization.
The group will host events the first week of February in Jacksonville and Jacksonville Beach in honor of National Survivors Remembrance Week.