Julianne Moore Was “Disgusted” With Herself for Not Doing More to Stop Gun Violence

This crushing event at the elementary school. This is a horrible event. He had bullets going by him, and she grabbed me and another child. The most important thing that Americans can do to fight our gun violent crises in this country is to get up and The sidelines. What do we want? Gun control. When do we want it? Now. My name is Shannon Watts and I'm the founder of Mom's Demand Action. Mom's Demand Action is the largest grass roots movement, not only in gun violence prevention but in the coutry. Gun's down. Lights up We have grown exponentially in the last six years. We have a chapter in every single state in the country. We have hundreds of thousands of active volunteers, and we also have nearly 5 million members and supporters. Let's begin. Then night of the horrific shooting at a movie theater in Aurora, my son and his sisters went to go see the premiere of Batman. And as they were getting ready to leave, The news came in over the television that there had been a shooting the night before. My son, who was about 12 at the time, had a panic attack during the movie because he started to imagine that everyone in the theater had a gun. And it was actually the beginning of a lot of anxiety for him. The grief here is still overwhelming, those heading to church drawing what some are saying What really brought this issue home for me was after Sandy Hook school shooting happened. Since I've been president, this is the fourth time we have come together to comfort a grieving community tore apart by mass shootings. Unless we change, we're going to keep getting the same thing. And lawmakers who are too often protecting the profits of gun manufacturers Ever country is home to toxic masculinity but only America makes it really easy for them to access an arsenal and ammunition. And that is why this country has such a gun violence crisis. Enough is enough. Enough is enough. Enough is enough. We honestly say that we're doing enough to keep our children, all of them, safe from harm. Moms demand action. I knew I had to act, and I wanted to do it with an army of other women. And creating Moms Demand Action really was supposed to just be a conversation online. It was supposed to be a Facebook page. And because type A women are badasses, they turned it into an offline movement, that is one of the largest grassroots movements in the country. For today. So we recently just met because of your work and my campaign, and it's being amazing. You are an amazing progressive candidate who feels really strongly about the issue of gun violence prevention, and you're in a district where people are paying attention And they should, because you could absolutely win the selection, and you need all the support that you can get. And I wanted to do that. Moms Demand Action is focused on several things. First of all, passing stronger gun laws at the state level. We're also playing defense on the federal level. We had hoped that we would have a president That would pass stronger gun laws we have instead of a president who is behold to the gun lobby. You woke up the day after an horrific tragedy and said something has to be done. And you went to work. You are very good at what you do. You're kind of like a badass Is that allowed? You have demonstrated what it looks like to sacrifice, because you know what's at stake. And this is the power that I think women are bringing to the table in this moment, right now, in our country. Your voice matters. Your voices We carry on to the halls of Congress, and everyone across the nation. We were thrilled to see the Parkland students stand up, in the wake of that horrific shooting at their school. It was really one of the first times we ever saw, not just the students, but an entire community galvanized around a single A singular message in the wake of a shooting tragedy, and that was that we needed stronger gun laws. I do believe it is on adults in this country to shoulder the burden of making, enforcing this change. But we're not gonna get it done in our lifetime. And no matter how much Progress we make. The next generation has to show up, and protect that progress. Grassroots activism is sort of this unglamorous heavy lifting, of doing everything from setting up chairs to making snacks. Those are the women who inspire me every day. That wake up and work on this issue no matter how hard it is, no matter how long it takes. Because they know like troops in Iraq that eventually, it will make change.

Year after year, the death toll due to gun violence in the United States climbs higher. Just over a week ago, a gunman killed 12 people at a Virginia Beach municipal building – just one of the many recent shootings. It’s an unfortunate reality that’s left many feeling helpless, but now is your chance to get involved.

Today marks the official start to Wear Orange Gun Violence Awareness Weekend, a movement started in 2013 when a group of Chicago teens honored their classmate Hadiya Pendleton, who was killed by gunfire one week after performing at President Barack Obama's second inauguration, by wearing the color hunters wear in the woods to protect themselves: orange. This weekend, Wear Orange events will be taking place nationwide to continue to shed light on the gun-violence epidemic.

Last month, long-time gun-control advocates and producers J.J. and Katie Abrams hosted an intimate backyard affair at their home in Los Angeles in support of Everytown for Gun Safety, Every Town Creative Counsel and Moms Demand Action, all of which are committed to ending gun violence through community action and campaigning for more stringent gun laws. “We're living in somewhat of a dark moment, and yet the work that this group does is light and is, sadly, so deeply necessary,” J.J. said to the crowd of friends and colleagues, including Julianne Moore, Keegan Michael Key, Conan O’Brien and more. “We've been proud to be part of this group, standing for something that is not only morally correct, but also just plain sense.”

The evening included moving remarks by the Abrams', as well as Everytown president, John Feinblatt; Julianne Moore, who founded Everytown Creative Counsel; and a survivor named La’Shea Cretain, who survived being shot by an abusive partner.

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Also there to show her support was The Talk host Tamera Mowry, whose connection to this cause hits especially close to home. Her niece was killed last year in a shooting at Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks, CA, where 11 others fell victim to the senseless violence. Mowry's niece, Alaina Housley, was 18 years old.

“I was just disgusted with myself for not doing anything,” Moore exclusively told InStyle of the impetus for starting the Every Town Creative Counsel, a coalition of artists and influential creatives who have vowed to help amplify the movement to end gun violence in the U.S. “I thought, what’s the thing that’s making me most upset right now, and where I feel like there is the least activity? And it was gun violence.”

RELATED: My Mom Was Killed in Sandy Hook. Now I'm Fighting to Prevent Gun Violence

Moore has spoken openly about trying to shield her daughter, Liv, from the news about the tragic Sandy Hook shooting; she was 11-years-old at the time and found out about the tragedy on Instagram, despite the actress’ best efforts. “It’s been interesting, because my daughter now is an activist — she's on the board of Students Demand Action. All the way at the beginning, she was the person who inspired me to become involved and now she's involved in the movement, too. Just as a human being and as a citizen and a parent, it’s important to do the things that are important for the health and safety of your children, and to model that behavior for your kids as well. We all have responsibilities to our communities.”

Ahead of Wear Orange Gun Violence Awareness Weekend, Moore’s husband Bart Freundlich directed this star-studded video, urging everyone to wear orange and end gun violence. It debuted just one day after the Virginia Beach tragedy, as a stark reminder that gun reform is needed now more than ever.

If you think making a difference when it comes to gun violence is outside your reach, Moore has a piece of advice. “Find your local chapter of Moms Demand Action and join. There are chapters all over the country and I'm telling you, these people are phenomenal. Believe me, there's plenty to do on a local level in just about every state.” You don't have to be a mom — or an A-list one at that — to make a difference on this critical issue.