This Is What a Gun Control March on Washington Looks Like
It was cold in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, but that didn't stop thousands of people from participating in a gun control march on the nation's Capitol.
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The march was organized by Molly Smith and Shannon Watts. The two used social media for the most part to spread the word of the march. All things considered, the relatively inexperienced Smith was pleased with the result. "It's been a remarkable learning experience," Smith told CNN, "the realization that we're citizens and this is an active citizenship, and being a citizen isn't just sitting around and gassing about it."
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Watts has a little more advocacy experience, though she is relatively green. After the Aurora mass shooting, Watts created the group One Million Moms for Gun Control. She's been profiled in The New York Times, and planned a few gatherings, though nothing on a scale like this.
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There were signs handed out that were simple, with things like "Stop NRA," or "Another _______ Against [Assault Rifles]" Some were a little more creative, like "What Would Jesus Pack?" or the long, pink, assault-rifle shaped signs that said "Ban Assault Rifles"
About 100 Newtown residents who made the trip for the march, organizers said.
Education Secretary Arne Duncan was the featured speaker, urging the march was not about repealing the Second Amendment, but about getting more gun safety regulations. "This is about trying to create a climate in which our children can grow up free of fear," Duncan said. "This march is a starting point; it is not an ending point... We must act, we must act, we must act."
