Hundreds gather for Moms Demand Action Advocacy Day

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — Just across the street from the courthouse where arguments on the Illinois' Assault Weapons Ban were being heard, hundreds of organizers from across the state held a rally in support of gun reform.

The event was organized by Moms Demand Action, a public safety organization dedicated to protecting people from gun violence. They were joined by two other organizations, Everytown for Gun Safety, and Students Demand Action.

"We know that there is no white knight riding into save us from the 420 million guns in our country," said Laura Harper, Moms Demand Action Illinois Legislative Lead. "We see tragedy every day in the news and in our communities and we know that we have to mobilize."

The primary focus of the day was lobbying for three house bills, but the organizers said they couldn't ignore that the Assault Weapons Ban case was being heard just across the street.

"Illinois is a leader when it comes to consensus and gun safety," said State Representative Kambium Buckner. "I see the immense power of a movement that says we all talk about survivors, we lift up survivors and I see an immense power of a movement that has led us to this point."

Advocates say legislators need to see gun control as a health issue. They say without dramatic steps, more people will die unnecessarily.

"Gun violence is the number one killer of children, more than cancer, more than motor vehicle collisions, more than any other ailment out there," said Doctor Halleh Akbarnia, an Emergency Medicine Physician. "Suicide counts for 60% of gun deaths in the United States and over 90% of those who use a firearm as a means for suicide are successful."

Leaders with Moms Demand Action say more schools need to include lessons on safe gun storage in their safety curriculum.

High school and college students who are a part of Students Demand Action attended the rally as well. They say the number of mass shootings and guns in schools has altered the way they see the world.

"We are the lock-down generation, living in the constant fear that an English class will turn into a war-zone. That just another day will turn into our last," said Ayden Tariq, a high schooler and activist. "We should not have to live with this terrifying cloud hanging over our heads. I'm tired of people telling me to calm down or that I am just a teenager. We are angry and we have been forced to mature early to this issue."