Transcripts For CSPAN3 Rally Outside The Supreme Court Against Gun Violence 20240713

Gun Safety Advocates and members of Congress Held a protest against the nra calling for tougher gun laws and sharing stories about the impact of gun violence. No more silence. Good morning everybody. One more time good morning everybody. Everybody get t is party started. Put your right hand up. Put your left hand up. And a round of clause. All right we are going to be loud. Were in front of the Supreme Court. Let me hear you one more time. I love it. My name is greg jackson big shout out to march for our lives for picking this up give it up for my man here. Give it up. Me i see bernie here. Where is bernie at . Our numbers are so good im so proud so good to see you all here there are a lot of people who did not survive who cannot be there today. So can we have a moment of silence for those who lost their lives to gun violence right now. All right we are back at it. Thank you so much for that moment of silence. I appreciate you all respecting those who cannot be there today we see exactly where opposition stands when it comes to losing lives. So we are going to be talking to all again i want you to say enough is enough. Enough. Is enough. Enough. Is enough. Enough. Is enough. Every year over 100,000 years are shot and killed by gun violence. And we are here to stand for those folks today. We have an Amazing Group of people here to speak about the importance of ending gun violence and how guns loss save life. We are going to hear about them but if it ever gets too loud we are going to say enough. Is. Enough enough. Is enough. Enough. Is enough. So you will say i talk too much. But in 2013 i was shot as a victim of gun violence. Over 150 people in washington d. C. Have been shot this. Year some people who are pass from gun violence were not necessarily a part of that. One of my friends was only ten years old when he was shot down a couple miles away. Im here to stand for everybody who cannot be here today to fight every one who to reduce violence. Thank you all for being here give yourselves one more round of applause. I love it. So we are going to introduce our first speaker Kelly Simpson who has done litigation surrounding gun violence. I am here as a proud member for constitution of litigation for a Legal Alliance for racial justice. Im a d. C. Resident and native detroit are. And i was a little girl i used to imagine how my life was be different if only i lived in the suburbs. I really imagine being able to freely ride my bike hang out with my friends whatever i wanted and go to my store anytime i could. Dont get me wrong the detroit in my youth was not as warlike as the media would have you believe but gun violence was a problem. Lurking behind my childhood member is like a curling up of my favorite, book dressing my, dolls and playing games with my family lies scared things like hiding in the basement to avoid bullets and two and standing behind bulletproof glass. I used by their east understand the world around. Me there was good and bad. There was funded boring. There was safe and dangerous. And under these by areas i couldnt help but imagine that if i lived in the suburbs my life would be better because kids did not have to have their lives around being shot like i did. That was that in this is. Now gun violence include suicide, homicide, mass, killings and Domestic Violence it. Happens everywhere. Thats why im here today we have the right not to be shot. And. That is not just rhetoric the second tsnot just rhetoric the second one of the rights and privileges laid out in the constitution. The Second Amendment comprises just 27 of the constitution 7591 words. In those words the declaration of independence and our entire system of government make it clear that our rights are not unlimited. I cannot do whatever i want whatever i want however r want. If it is going to endanger somebody else. This rally is a perfect example. And speaking to you today i am exercising my First Amendment right to free speech. But that does not mean i have the right to use my time here to incite the ground to my violence that would go beyond the scope of the right. The Second Amendment is no different. The couras, the Supreme Court has made it clear that the right to bear arms is not unlimited. The government has the Authority Pass reasonable regulations to protect our right not to be shot and uphold Public Safety. When i was a kid i could hold on to the idea that i could avoid gun violence simply by moving a few miles outside of town todays kids do not even have that. They know that gun violence happens in suburbs and concrete jungles mountain villages and beach towns. Ssroom. They are asking us to protect their right not to be shot. Classrooms classrooms so theyre asking us to protect the right not to be shot. There is no constitutional reason why we cant listen all right everybody, give it up for kelly when i say gun laws use, a safe flight ready . Gun laws save lives gun laws save lives gun laws save lives gu laws save lives gun laws we are go to remakes. It you guys say run gun laws you, save save lives ready . Gun laws save lives gun laws save lives gun laws save lives gun laws save lives that was awesome guys. Are right, please give a big round of applause for our next speaker for tatiana washington from milwaukee, wisconsin. Hi everyone. I hope that every single one of you are proud of if tlook out to e all of you. What we are doing here today is a alid and is bigger than ourselves. But today i want to speak specifically to my peers and in doing so i hope that my words will encourage the generations before me to understand that those who look like me who spent hours making videos are vital in this movement. To my fellow youth do, not listen to anyone that tries to dismiss you and your voice, because your voting resilience is urgent. We are here fighting. Because nearly 100 people die from guns every day. We are fighting because sandra pranks cant. We are fighting because three foreign martin cant. We are fighting because take jackson count. We are fighting because to me or rice count. We are fighting because china davis cant. The last name was my aunt. She was shot in her chest her, stomach, and her leg by her husband who, can turn the gun on himself. Then there are the two children who are eight and 12 at the time were present at the time the tragedy happened. And my cousin performed cpr on his mother but she died later in the hospital. But even though gun violence has broken my family, i am not are Law Enforcement officers and i grew up with guns in my house. But i also understand that none of us deserve to be shot. We have the right to not be shot. applause and gaza have been creeping money and death, i keep asking myself, what happened to the american . Children, little children, are losing to time out of the school day to practice what to do when someone decides to turn a secret space for education into a murder scene, black and brown youth are terrified of being gunned down by those who are supposed to serve and protect us what. Is the American Dream . We have the right to not be shot. applause to my youth, are age does not limit our power. Throughout history, youth have always had an Important Role in making a change. It has been said that the duty of youth is to challenge corruption, and that is exactly what we are doing here today. And i urge you to continue doing that. To never, ever let anyone tell you that your opinion, your voice, your say is useless. Your voice is the most powerful tool you have. Use it for change, and never remain silent. Stay strong, and may you all find strength in your voices. Thank you. Applause give it up for today atatiana all. I forgot one give a shout out for a case with guns. applause another speaker we. Have just unlucky here. Coming up here. All right. Before we do that though i, have one quick announcement sorry guys if your own of fire and also with the license plate one eight four for you from indiana you, may get out. So if youre involved or is a great car my, first powers and all of these going both your car so you dont get towed with that said, we are going to turn it over to jason lindsay. Welcome jason. Good morning my name is Jason Lindsey and im the founder and executive director of pride to End Gun Violence. I am also an iraq war veteran who has served on the battlefield and seen what weapons of war due to people. We do not need weapons of war on ou streets. I keep hearing the chant that guns dont kill people. But guess what . Guns kill children every single day, where they are unsecured, where their parents dont like them up. So when i hear a chance that guns dont kill people, that people kill people, well i dont think a toddler should be held responsible when he killed himself from an unsecured firearm applause by attending today, you are not only honoring those who was tragically lost their lives to gun violence, but also the many many others that are impacted as a result of gun violence. We stand united in the call for action. But our elected leaders and our legal system to address the gun violence epidemic. Pride fun to End Gun Violence was borne out of the tragedy of the pulse nightclub shooting. It was just three and a half years ago that the horror was unfolding. Lives were entered, the country wept, and the way we look at everything changed. Here in d. C. On saturday june 11th, 2016 most of us here in d. C. Were celebrating gay pride. We were filled with joy and pride for the law far of our Lgbtq Community. We woke up in the next morning to the devastating news of the tragedy of polls. In the early hours of june 12th, 49 individuals and 53 others were injured in what was the worst mass shooting in our country at the time. The fact that it occurred at the celebration during pride month made it all that much worse. For our community, gave bars are safe spaces where, we can go and we the ourselves and be at one with our community. Our safe space was violated, just like so many others. The shooting cast a dark cloud over the city off orlando, our country, and even the world. Are spaces were violated and death touched everyone there. As i have traveled throughout orlando, i have met so many families and so many people. Many people in the orlando gay community, if you knew one victim, you knew many. Because that is how tightknit the community was. And in the days following polls, i decided that their enough was enough. I had not been involved in the Gun Reform Movement until them, but i could no longer sit on my hands. As a gay man i felt targeted, and i was angry, and i was ready to act. I knew as an iraq war veteran i could an iraq o the table. Icould knew that the Lgbtq Community needed our own unique organization to fight for gun reform. So i created proud front. We fight for common sense gun laws. We support candidates who are willing to stand up for our rights, we have stood shoulder to shoulder with victims all over the country. The time to act on gun violence is now. Last year alone, more than 40,000 americans lost their lives to gun violence, including workers, mass shootings, accidents, suicides, and children accidentally shooting themselves. When will we reach the Tipping Point . Now when will congress out . Now whe will our courts act . Now today are jitters your branch has the opportunity to do the right thing, and vote for the common sense gun safety. For too long lawmakers out of court system has failed in their responsibility to keep us safe. Its our turn to make sure that we are safe. For all of you that are on the ground during the important work and are here today, keep fighting, and lets take it up and not. The last year and a half to two years has shown us what the power of the people can do. Look at the building behind you. And look at how many new members of congress we have that ran on common sense gun safety and defeated and are eight candidates applause the days of the ad are as political power is over. Do not give up, keep up the fight, and thank you for being here. All right give it up one more time for Jason Lindsey. What do we want . Come on now. What do we want. Gun laws. When do we want. Them now. What do we want. Gun laws. When do we want. That now. What we want. Gun laws. When do we want. It now. What do we want. Gun laws. When do we want. It now. Everybody give a big round of applause for our next speaker we have ruth glen coming up a survivor of gun violence at a big advocate for Domestic Violence. Give it up for ruth gun. Where is ruth at. Truth is amazing by the way. Give her one more round of applause for this woman. Good morning. Good morning. What do we want . Gun laws. What do we want them. Now. What do we want . Gun laws. When do we want . Them now. Amen. As craig said my name is ruth glen. I am the president of the National Coalition against Domestic Violence. We have been fighting for survivors of Domestic Violence and here lately more survivors of Domestic Violence and gun violence. I am also a survivor of the deadly mix of gun violence and Domestic Violence. I was shot three times, left for dead, after many many years of gun violence and harassment and fear. I did everything right and i thought i was safe. But due to my partners access to weapons and guns, he did that harm to me. On behalf of the 1 million women alive today who had been shot or shot at i ask you, all of us, to disarm Domestic Violence. The intimate partner homicide rate has inclusive in really recent years driven by an increase in homicides committed by four or arms and domestic abusers access to firearms. I am not only a survivor because i am alive after the shooting i am a survivor because i endured years and years of threats and fear. Because the man who needed to control me and used a firearm to intimidate me. Including kidnapping me at qrt tju four hours. Knowing tha trigger polled could kill me in minutes. I lived in constant fear. On behalf of the 4. 5 million women alive today who have been directly threatened by intimate partner with a gun. I ask you, i ask all of us to disarm Domestic Violence. I am often asked regarding my own story and about victims in general. Those that call us and say what do i do . I am afraid. Wouldnt have been better if you had your own firearm . The fear of using a weapon that is reinforced by the abuser of a gun being used on you. Being turned on you. Would im sorry the fear of using the weapon that is enforced by the abuse or using a gun on. You or the idea that you would have gotten in the home in which violence is being perpetrated. It doesnt make sense. Access to means access to any gun. In abusers access to firearms increases the risk of intimate partner homicide five fold regardless of who owns the gun. On behalf of those who are at risk, i ask, you all of us to disarm Domestic Violence. I am not alone and i am lucky. I am here to remind you of tht women killed every month on average. 52 women are shot and killed by an intimate partner per month. 52 women per month. When are we going to be mad about it. On behalf of those lost women, i ask you, all of, us all of, you disarm Domestic Violence. I ask you and i implore you to remember the impact of the intersection on Domestic Violence and children. Our families. Our communities. Hospitals. Workplaces and other institutions. Victims of Domestic Violence are often forgotten in these discussions and debates. Especially those who have lost their lives. On behalf of those who no longer have a voice, who cannot be here today because they are dead. Whose families are and children are missing them. For those who have endured the threats of Domestic Violence or the presence of a gun. Those who left, even though they knew it could result in their death. Please disarm Domestic Violence. We do not want gun control, the mirror word causes shiver. We want safety. Women and children are at risk. Entire communities are at risk. Check your histories of mass shooters. Gun laws save lives. Closing loopholes save lives. Please remember those and disarm Domestic Violence. Can give it up one more time for ruth everybody. Enough is . Enough. Enough . Is enough. Enough . Is enough. We know this battle is going to have to have been at the National Level in the state level of the local level every day. Razor and if you are organizing at the local level to End Gun Violence. Give yourself a round of applause. All right our next speaker is the executive director of state united to prevent gun violence and also a survivor, please give it up for one. Good morning. And thank you for showing up on this rainy day. I know that some people came through the snow to be here. I became a gun violence survivor on a nether snowy and freezing snowy day in january of 1970. My stepfather shot me with a 30 odd six hunting rifle at our home in rural new hampshire. This type of gun is used to bring down being game. The bullet exploded into my back and it exited my 13 year old body. It severed nerves close to my spine and cause damage to my kidney. Shrapnel still rises to the surface of my skin pushing its way through muscle fiber. The simple edition of access to a gun and Domestic Violence forever changed my life in the course of seconds. Well the bullet is no longer in my flash, the trauma will never leave. Survivors fighting traumatic memories. We know there is no safe place in america. That is why thousands have survivors are standing up to the nra. We your very safe here. This is not enough. Saying we do not want any of you to carry the burden that we do. We want next to all of. You you have shown up to tell the court that we matter. You have shown to show the court that the nra can no longer politicize and profit from our stories for the best two years for the past two years i have worked in vermont. With a determined team of hunters, faith leaders, teachers, doctors, and farmers. With farmers all over the state and we have stood up to the nra. Fremont passed an extended backpack buck background check bill the limited magazines raise the age and to purchase to 21 and at the same time. At the same time we passed in extreme Risk Protection order. We held our heads high as we watched a republican governor signed them into law. Those laws are now at risk. Now i stand before you as the executive director of states united to prevent gun violence. We know that we accomplish much at the state level. We know it matters. Every state. Every state and local group works hard to pass good violence prevention policy. The states have stood up and fought to hold ba h ad policy. We show up and we stand up. We are doing this work every day even when we are bone tired. We know we cannot win this fight. We need each other. We are Better Together after we rise. We need to rise up against the nra. Whose agenda has landed us here this morning. The Supreme Court is jeopardizing our Public Health and our Public Safety. If they choose to reinterpret the Second Amendment. No matter what Supreme Court justices or members of congress or the state house say, we will continue to fight against the horrific Public Health crisis called gun violence. I am one person, with many people, and i have to be brave with my life to show you that we can be brave together. We have to show up to be strong, and we have to show up to be effective allies with all of our communities, rural and urban. Thank you. Thank you and onward. applause all right. Give it up for her one more time gun laws save lives give it up for one of our great lawmakers and a big leader and advocate, representative Anthony Brown from maryland. Thank you, how is everybody doing today . Thank you for being out here, the organizers and advocates, each and every one of you in communities throughout america turning tragedy into triumph for more americans. God bless each and everyone of you and thank you for being out here today. I have learned through my own experience that no family is immune from gun violence. No family is immune from the tragedy of Domestic Violence. My 40yearold cousin kathy 10 years ago was killed at the hands of her estranged boyfriend, shot with a gun in front of two Montgomery County Police Officers who in turn shot him. Gun violence knows no boundaries. Because of race, religion, ethnicity. Thats why we need gun laws 2 save lives gun laws save latest efforts to wipe out guna safety laws and the stakes could not be higher. The nra wants the Supreme Court to rule that every person has a constiautional right to carry a concealed firearm, whether into a school, shopping center, or movie theater, and that is just wrong. In maryland, like many other states, if you want to carry a concealed gun in public, you can demonstrate you are not a danger to yourself or others ad successfully complete a Firearms Training course to show you can correctly handle that gun. The nra thinks that the right to bear arms should not come with any responsibilities, but they are wrong and wrong indeed. But the nra does not want to stop there. It wants the court to sense, lifesaving Public Safety protections such as stopping mystic abusers from possessing firearms, red flag laws that guns out of the hands of people who pose a threat to themselves and others. Banning assault weapons and highcapacity magazines. 10 years ago, the Supreme Court reaffirmed that reasonable restrictions on gun possession are in fact constitutional. Yet since then, we have witnessed the tragedies at sandy hook, orlando, las vegas, parkland, and realized that much more needs to be done. But the nra has not abandoned its unrestricted view of the Second Amendment, which is inconsistent with American History and jurisprudence, out of touch with Public Safety, and out of step with the American People. That is why the nra has tirelessly worked to stop any and every congressional action on gun safety for years. Including fixing our broken background check system or keeping guns away from domestic abusers, policies supported by 90 of the american public. And now, alt american public. And now, hardfought, lifesaving progress that you, the Gun Safety Movement have made in dozen of states across the country in recent years. The American People are demanding action to address a public help Health Epidemic of gun violence and they are demanding action now. They are handing the nra defeat after defeat. The nra is on the ropes and they need the Supreme Court to bail them out. I urged the justices to listen to the American People. Excuse me, speaking enough is enough enough is enough all right. Gun laws save lives looks like weve got the bigger megaphone. While we are waiting for the microphone to come back live, im going to have javier use the megaphone. He is a master at it. Lets give it up for javier. What is going on . I bring you peace from the redhook initiative from redhook, brooklyn. I work for three institutions to end nonviolence in urban communities. The Supreme Court does not need to review the new york state rifle case. Many in the Legal Community regard the case as moot. That is some we are talking about. Any hearing, interpretation will be political as. As a representative for the thousands of africanamerican, latinx and indigenous gun violence prevention, working day to eradicate gun violence, we cannot allow the nra to play politics with our courts. My community will be negatively impacted by everything that is going on right behind me. In africanamerican and latinx communities, experiencing the impact of in violence most acutely. The firearm related homicide rate is nearly 20 times higher than the rate of white young males. Sit on that. See this man talking . He dont know nothing about our community. He dont know a thing and he is out here talking. He is not saying a goddam thing. Violence a Public Health crisis which is acutely, an accurate description of this epidemic. Perhaps a lesserknown Public Health outcome as a result of the exposure of gun violence is the risk factors that include asthma, hypertension, cancer and stroke. When gun violence obody is talking gun violence s talking about families who are impacted severely to physical health. The nra continues to promote we can gun laws which allows guns to proliferate in my neighborhood and my community that i serve. Leading commhootings,t i serve. Leading homicides that perpetuate trauma. We are generations of People Living in Public Housing that have been impacted by gun violence. Nobody talking about them. Who is here . Im here, as one representative. The gun sitting, it is the fact these gun laws allow for the dominant response event violence in our community to be overaggressive policing. To be prosecution, growing the present Industrial Complex which harms these neighborhoods plagued by gun violence. When they manipulate the gun safety laws, the police comes in our communities and bash our heads in. Aint nobody talk about that. The nra has that enough to harm our neighborhoods. I urge the Supreme Court to turn their attention to other pressing issues like the continued separation of public schools. Expand police surveillance, Health Care Access and much more. The nra has done enough harm to our neighborhoods. Finally, allow me to give my qrt sp ence venable. He was an shot to death as he left the Training Session at the alliance for concerned men, a notforprofit group. One of the nations unknown heroes who deserves to be recognized. Thank you very much. Give it one more time. If you have a Toyota Corolla with license plate 3am627, you might get towed. Move that thing. We will be out here one week. Enough is enough. Enough is enough . Enough is enough. Next we will have Elijah Nichols coming up. At george mason university. Give it up for elijah, everybody. 627,200. That is the number of individuals that were shot in 2006. 30,096. That is a number of individuals that died due to gun violence in 2006. Out of the many bodies, many names and many stories of the year, i only know one. Only know the story of the one that was a father with two young children, a hua pd to a loving wife and the one that was an uncle. Michael, frank simpson. I remember my mom, her hands shaking and picking up the remote to turn on the tv. As this ring turn. And my mother turned to the local news channel, i remember our families photo flashing up on the screen. The black turtlenecks everyone wore, similar to the one i am wearing today, to me has become a symbol of a communal sense of morning. At five years old, my family and i became a part of a community, the community of families that have had someone that they love killed by a gun. Let me make this clear. Frank simpson and the thousands that have been killed before and sadly after him are the reason that i fight. I hope you will fight for them too. I can tell you that being here today in front of the Supreme Court, you are fighting for frank. You are fiurg for him and the many like him by speaking truth to opower against the nra and their cronies. Inside those marble walls was the suppose it gun rights organizations pushing for is nothing more than a political game of their lives. It is an agenda of a murder. There is absolutely no reason for this case to be at the Supreme Court today. Let me say that again. There is absolutely no no reason for this case to be at Supreme Court today. The regulation that is being discussed inside that court today has been revealed. It is politics, plain and simple. Putting politics and the prophets of gun manufacturers over our lives. I say that today, i say the nra will not win today because we will not stop fighting. We will take back the state and federal legislators. We will make sure the judges on the bench for the people and not for the profits of a few. We will win this for frank, for you, and for the safety of our future generations. I am probably from michigan. Lets win this thing. Give it up for elijah, everybody. Alright real quick, i know a lot of us have loved someone or know someone impacted by gun violence, like a lot just spoke of frank. Take a second, think about the name and i want to give a name as loud as you can. Got it . All right. 1, 2 one more time. 1, 2, 3. All right. Before we bring up the next speaker all my papers are wet. This will be a mess. I need to get paid for this. Alright, next speaker, i want to make sure you are still awake. Enough. Enough enough. The next speaker is ian palquez. Give ir up for ian. Good morning, everybody. My name is ian. I am a senior director at equality federation, the National Partner for statewide federation for winning equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and queer people in the communities we call him. We are proud to stand with everyone today scott on the Supreme Court to reject the nras attempts to provide us deprive us of the right to enact measures to protect ourselves in gun violence. The Lgbtq Community knows can t we know gun vie in the massacre of pulse, in orlando where 39 lives were lost, bringing violence and death to a place where people went to feel safe. We know gun violence in the epidemic of murders of trans women of color. We know gun violence in the rising number of hate crimes against lgbtq people. We know gun violence in the loss of folks in our community due to his side at rates far behind the National Average and we know gun violence in our schools. Where sexual and gender minority students are more likely to be threatened with a firearm. We know we need sensible regulations to protect our communities from violence. Today, we need the Supreme Court to stand up to the nra. The nra wants to use t is case to challenge and rollback hundreds of gun safety laws across our country. Every gun law is at risk, even measures that are overwhelmingly supported by the American People. For the Lgbtq Community, for all our communities, the justices must not endanger Public Safety. They must not adopt the radical new interpretation of the Second Amendment. It is wrong, it is inconsistent with the constitution, it is dangerous. It would mean even more guns in our public spaces and the atp qahup l deserve to feel safe. Thank you so much. Gun laws. Save lives. Gondolas. Save lives gun laws save lives now we want to bring it up to Randy Weingarten the president of. Its very sad when the nra who has pushed this case today needs to have someone with a megaphone wait, wait in this community. Wait, wait, wait. It is very sad that someone that the nra needs to actually try and disrupt this community of people who love other people. They have a right to speak just like dont worry about it remember, i am a schoolteacher, i am used to disruptive children. They have a right to speak but so do we. At a moment of time like this, when you have and i have seen my local is the local in newtown. Of my local is the local in parkland. We have speakers here before you have talked about theirwe hw families being killed by gun violence. We have a law in new york that has been there, and as a result, there has been no gun violence in schools in new york. And the nra wants to get rid of that law, this is a moment, this is again i am used to disruptive students, this is a moment where we as a Community Come together to say it is time to act. When a nation loses more students to gun violence in a year then Service Members in combat, it is time to act. When young people say you notice he needs to disrupt these facts when young people say their greatest fear is gun violence is it time to act . Yes. W en students and teachers across the country speak about School Shootings in terms of when, not if, is it time to act . When our children are demanding action, is it time to act . T vqah you, my friends, you are acting by sitting here, by standing here in the rain, you are acting. You are being out here, making sure that the Supreme Court, that others actually understand that we need sensible gun violence laws, like the law in new york city and new york state. We need to act across the country. So, are you ready to act . Yes. Are you ready to act in the november elections . Are you ready to stand here and be heard . Thank you. Give it up for randy one more time. What do we want . Gun laws. When do we want them . Now all the way in the back, great job. Next, we will hear from bob. Former air force pilot from minnesota. Please give it up for bob, everybody. Thank you. Good morning, my fellow citizens and supporters of democracy. I stand before you as a survivor of gun violence, a gun owner, and a veteran of our armed forces. I know too well the pain of losing a loved one to gun violence, when in 1986, my sister was murdered as she exited her car. 100 people a day die at the hands of a gun in this country. 100 people a day with hundreds more injured. Those 100 a day equal just about four sandy hooks every single day in this country. When my sister was murdered, that was our familys personal sandy hook. As a gun owner and a former participant in nra sponsored events, i am fetpyl he cannot complain, can proclaim that the nra does not speak for me, nor represents my views. In fact, the nra no longer represents the majority of my citizens who have come together to call for common sense gun legislation. The gun manufacturing lobby is now trying to convince the Supreme Court to prop up their losing agenda. The court should say no to the gun lobby and interpret the Second Amendment as the Founding Fathers intended. A wellregulated militia does not mean an unregulated armed populace wreaking havoc upon our peace and tranquility. It is time for the nra and the court to listen to anton and scalia when in heller versus d. C. , Justice Scalia said these rights in the Second Amendment do not come without regulation. Our government is obligated, per the constitution, to ensure domestic tranquillity, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity. This can only happen by protecting our gun laws so that we can all feel safe in our schools, churches, nightclubs, shopping malls, parks and so forth. As an air force officer, forth. Aook an oath to protect d defend the constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. The nra used to be a gun safety and sportsmen organization. It is now a lobbying arm for the gun manufacturing industry. And it works counter to every single one of the founding principles i quoted. I for upon the Supreme Court to not to the nras agenda, but one am weary of our childrens instead to reign in its families being killed by gunlives being the cost we for the Second Amendment. I call upon the Supreme Court to not influence and return this country on a path to peace, tranquility and life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Thank you. Give it up one more time for bob, everybody. Next up, a junior attending Stonebridge School in bethesda. She has led school ihat hersda. She has led school, organized town halls. Give it up one more time. Come on, yall. Sorry, i am a bit short. Hi, everybody, im lordes. I am one of the nine student voices presented by march for our lives for the justices of the Supreme Court. I have not had the same experience as some of the other people who have been up here. I have never been directly affected by gun violence, but i speak to everyone my age and younger whose innocence has been stained by this growing epidemic. By the increase in active shooter drills, the necessity of various plans in the conversations of death we must have with small children. We are the first generation to be affected by such a large magnitude, the mass shooting generation. P place where like many other elite private schools, the threat of the in touchable. We used to think that by some privilege, our tuition and uniforms protected us by the atrocities happening in this country. I can remember moments where i did not let my anxiety to cover. I thought being a suburban, private school attending girl would protect me. But that is not the case anymore. For a long time, i thought i could focus on my love of language learning and math instead of being shot at school. Through the failures of politicians, my classmates and me have been shaken out of that luxury. I watch the children in sandy hook and parkland let out of their schools with their hands above their heads, their friends dead behind them. Just last year when there was in active shooter at a High School Just next door to my school, i realized no privilege i had could save me. I texted my parents updates that day come assuring them i would be fine, i would not be shot because the School Administrators told me i was going to be fine. We went into lucked out and i said in my World History class doing whatever i could to distract myself from the prospect of dying where i sat. Although it was eventually declared a false alarm and the never ended up being in active shooter nextdoor, i became on edge after that afternoon. I sent an amicus brief that the question of being safe at school was complex. After further reflection, that was not true. I dont feel safe real thing and i dont feel safe at all. I thought to myself, if i feel this way and i go through in elite Independent School that justice is set their student school, how do people that do not have my privilege, how they are spoke to feel in their community when they are threatened . That question may be want to face the hypocrisy of the people in power in this country. To challenge our existing laws to our democracy. The people in power can say we are the future but we cannot be the future if we are shot dead at school. Say theye in power can understand our experiences but they go places with heavy security details and send their kids of the safest, most elite schools that money can buy. That hypocrisy is why i became involved in this work. I sinema anxiety and sadness into democracy. Sorry s 10 halls i walk out of the capital and working through that with my school initiation has not been central. As much as my school has pushback against us and as much as politicians of pushback and as much as unelected officials of pushback, our movement has not given up. Today, the Supreme Court in hearing a case validates all that work. The Supreme Court justices can deprive us of the chance to and are fiercest processed. Thoughts and prayers cannot fix this. Right . It cant fix it the government needs to let us, people like you and me, have a chance to fix this through real laws and legislation and policies. Nowhere is safe, regardless of the precautions we take over the privileges we have. The decision of this case paves the way for Howard Government will grapple with gun control and legislation for the decades to come. In case you didnt know, it is not the video games. It is not the lack of preparation and that is not your zip code. It is the guns and we deserve to regulate it. The Supreme Court cannot take that away from us. Thank you. [applause] great job. For we the state do that, lets hear it for our haters one time. Enough. Thats awesome. We will hear from marco vargas, First Generation College student. We know it is important kids are safe in school and at home. Demands action and his school and at his own community in South Central los angeles. Give it up for marco. Thank you. My name is marco vargas, and i am a First Generation College student attending dartmouth college. Years, myst Three Friends and i have immerse ourselves in the fight against gun violence because we know it is disproportionately impacting people of color. When i was five years old, gun violence devastated by family before i can ride a bike. I witnessed my father striking my mother, screaming and getting drunk at school. Elementary School Teachers would ask why i not complete my homework and i would silently respond because i did not have time. I should have a slain how no one in my house spoke english, how my mom was struggling to figure out a way to escape the bruises, nosebleeds and black eyes that infected her body every time my father parked his white pickup truck and closed the door behind him. Was forcedmy mother to clean, cook and grocery shop because my father was affiliated. He walked up and down our street , concealing a pistol he purchased on the black market because of the tent bulletin at tabor, he was always in control. Father for mymy entire family for years. He never filed a bullet but the psychological scars still hurt. They hurt when my friend asked me about my father. They hurt when i hear similar stories from friends in South Central and they hurt when i turn on the news and see on sensibility used to inflict pain and suffering that i know from experience. Years since15 police took my families got away and approved. I fight against gun violence because stories like mine are too common. I fear the gun violence in the United States has become normalized. Today is a reminder of why we must tell our stories. Today in this building, the nra is pushing for the extreme interpretation of the second abundant. We are here because we know what is at stake. Everyday, communities across the nation, black and brown students hear gunshots that i paid i was raised listening to Police Sirens at night, helicopter circling. White lights beaming down and dogs barking controllably. This does not have to be the reality of future generations. At all of us gathered today, i am reminded how many of us agree. I am reminded how many of us have been affected by gun violence and i am reminded how hard we will continue to fight to make our country safer. Thank you very much. Give it up for marco, everybody. Welcome Walter Thomas of the the stage. O [applause] much for being here with us today on this cold december morning. Throughout history, change has been made by the people who showed up and spoke out. Your presence serves to reminder to this court and elected officials that the Many Americans demanding an end to gun violence are not going anywhere. We are here today because we are angry. We are angry because there are 100 americans a day you die from when violence. 100 yesterday and 100 tomorrow. We are sick and tired of it. Becauseere today survivors, many of you in this crowd, survivors like to begin virtus alive is a model of life and hope and courage and who will fight with us in the unimaginable heartache that comes with a crisis of been violence in america. Today because we want our politicians to action, not waste our time listening to case not on the books anymore. A case brought by gun lobby like tips or constricted to advance the interests of the people who make guns and buy guns and who care more about guns than the lives of our children. The right not to get shot. The right not to live a life free from been violence is far more important from the narrow law that we hear before this court today. No matter what this court decides, no matter how this turns out, we are not going anywhere. Our focus is the country needs to be on what will make our children, our families and our Community Safer. That is what we are fighting for and that is what we will keep fighting for. Not for an industry that makes profits selling more guns. The Giffords Law Center and Gabby Giffords has been at the forefront of this fight for a long time and we are not backing down. When i look at of this crowd today in this rainy, cold morning, i know we are stronger than we have ever been. We are winning and making progress. That is going to continue. Thank you for being here and dont give up. [cheering] up. Eive it put your hands in the air. Check your hands. We have all shook hands. Now you know everybody in the room. We will take a quick musical intermission and get back to the program. Give it up for our band, everyone. While they are setting up, what do we want . When do we wanted . Now. What do we want . Gun laws went to wanted . Now round of applause, one more time. Keep going. So enough is . Enough enough is . Enough enough is . Enough before the left side, say in. If you are in the middle, say gun. On the left, say jen violence. End. Gun. Violence. End. Gun. Violnece. Ence. That is beautiful. Give it up for the band. Were not safe anymore. Eyre walking their gun through the synagogue door were not safe anywhere when theyre cutting down the faithful in their houses of prayer how many stories do you need . How many records should we break . How much blood should be spelled . Spare me your Mental Health debate. I dont want a good guy with a gun i dont need a good guy with the gun if all the bad guys were back, then the good guys would not need one anymore e not safe walking their gun through the synagogue door Chris Matthews is enough is enough, enough is enough, enough is enough, enough is enough, enough is enough, enough is enough enough is enough, enough is enough, enough is enough [cheering] hi. And, first and foremost, i am the mother. Im as a mother. 2014, why . 6, because someone decided to take my sons life. Without permission. Son. Mes, he shot my he turned 17 years. Like can imagine one of those 17 shots was why he could take my father. Where will i find another hero . How could i go on without him . But, you will go on for guys i am the voice and i will fight until i win. [cheering] what i need for you to understand, nra, is this. I dont want your rights, i dont want your guns. I dont even want you around. You to be responsible for the change you have made. If you are not responsible, you will understand that there are consequences for your actions. [cheering] we are here in this cold morning because we believe in what we are doing. Because we are one anothers family, went through what i went through. Where i live in lynchburg, virginia, just in case you didnt know. Take action. Doors and way showed up. Silent because you think we should be. We dont want another family going through what many families have gone through. Why this morning and that building is the nra trying to take us back. I am here to say we are going forward. We are not going backward. Because we are going to fight until we went. We are going to fight until we win. Lets fight [cheering] at this time, it is my honor to introduce chris murphy. [applause] that is a hard act to follow. This is one of movement looks like, right . I am not dressed for the rain but i am dressed for a movement. What i know is that they are going to increasingly be here because they cannot beat us out there. They are going to try to get the courts to protect them because the voters one upper deck them any longer. Because we come up for the first time in a long time, we the antigun Violence Movement are finally stronger than the gun lobby is. That is why we are flipping seats all over the country. Why we have these guys running for the hills. Retiring in droves. Stope are not going to because here is what i know i know is a student of history that the great social change movements are not the ones that gave up when they hit an obstacle. They are not the ones that would help when they hit a bump in the road. The great social change movements, the ones you read about in history books are the ones that knew about the righteousness of their cause, that knew that the status quo would eventually fall and stop at nothing until they save lives and changed history. That is what a great social change movements are about and that is what we are. Agenda to tryal to take away our ability to protect our kids and i dropped off my kids this morning at public Elementary Schools that drillsve shooters for the inevitability they will get shot. They want to take all right away to make changes that can make the streets safer, that prevent the kind of episodic gun violence that plagues american cities. They want to take that right away and we are not going to let them do that. Dressed today to fight on the inside of these buildings because i know that you guys are dressed and ready to fight on the outside. It warms my heart to see big crowd after big crowd, rally after rally, headquarters after headquarters filled with volunteers because the stronger you are outside, the stronger you make us inside. Thank you, everybody. Every army needs a general. The redshirt army, we have the best federal we can have. I introduced you now, shanann watts. [applause] i am short. Hello, everyone because i amay angry. Across the country, our volunteers have stood shoulder to shoulder with all of you today. We have passed more than 300 gun safety laws in just three years. Progress because americans demanded and we are fed up with the gun lobby writing our nations gun laws. We are fed up with children hiding under desks while lawmakers hide behind the gun lobby. We are fed up with lax gun laws to make the neighborhoods, homes and communities less safe. We have fought back again and again and we have won. Erasea is trying to progress we have made in one fell swoop. Every going to let them get away with that . Hell no coming to force because they know they are losing in statehouses and boardrooms and the house of representatives and the court of public opinion. They are wrapped by political and financial scandal. They are being exposed for what they have always been, a front prevent obvious to exist only to protect profits at the expense of american lives. Has leftplace the nra a fight is in the supreme and they will not win there either. The nra is scared. We are 6 million strong and the writing is on the wall. The nra is weaker than they have ever been and we are stronger than we have ever been. You want to know why . Because we have some lawmakers that when we say do the right thing, we will have their backs. When they do the wrong thing, we will have their jobs. The bottom line is this the Supreme Court should not allow case to moveake a quay its agenda. Good gun laws save lives. Today, we are going to be loud enough that the justices inside know that we are watching everything they do. Too many families live in fear of gun violence and we do not have to live like this and our children sure as hell do not die like this. Day thatoving every winning is possible. We outspent the nra into thousand 18 Midterm Election and we beat them in virginia. We beat the nra in their own backyard. Way showed every day that winning is possible. Together, we will keep winning in the courts. Thank you. Diane kelly is a 19yearold and lives in washington, d. C. Since losing his twin brother to ben violence in 2018, he has turned his pain into activism. Fighting for safe streets, legislation and his brothers name. March for our lives and a briefer this case. Shining a light on the crisis of everyday gun violence through advocacy and outreach, i introduced to you zion kelly. [applause] greetings. A nativeeklkelly, washingtonian, and secondyear student at a. M. University. Today will go down in history because the Supreme Court, they would decide to hear our voices pain. Re are pour today, they would decide whether they want to hear our voices or put more lives at risk. For far too long, the topic of gun safety has been swept under the rug. Gun violence has lighted immunities, schools, churches and committee stores. Country areas a coming together to address it. All across america, we are coming together to demand legislation and for officials to stand for us to save our lives. With this case, the Supreme Court singlehandedly ripped that away from us. Democracies and human lives are at stake. Nonviolence is prevalent in our society and it impacts more people that we can possibly imagine. Last year alone, 36,000 americans were killed last year with guns. They dont deserve to lose their lives and people dont deserve to be shot. We have to look deeper than the numbers. These are real people with real lives. People whose family members are grieving everyday. I personally know the impact of losing a close level. Gun violence and washington, d. C. Has impacted my family for generations. It seems like it is a neverending cycle. My grandfather lost his friend to gun violence. My dad lost one of his brothers to gun violence in washington, d. C. In 2017, lost my twin brother to a bullet. This is why it is so personal to me because my family has been grieving for decades. To grieving process is something that many people can understand unless they actually go through it. Theres a lot of trauma that comes from it. For a long time, i felt uncomfortable leaving my house. It was hard for my family to adjust to our new lives. I did not go to school for weeks. I did not want to leave my house because the process was too hard. Onlyin brother zaire was 16 when he was shot coming from a College Preparatory program. He was miles from the Supreme Court and only steps for my house. An active community member. He spoke about issues that impact youth across the city. He had the role ahead of them. He was an exceptional student and person. I had to find ways to cope and adjust. Speaking after my committee is one way for me to keep my brothers legacy alive. It is a way for me to be the odds of a positive role model for my peers and siblings. Zaire have the right not to be shot. My grandfathers son had the right not to be shot. My fathers brother had the right not to be shot, just like 36,000 Americans Last year. We must end this fight of gun violence for future generations. It is time we make a change and it is time we give our community so. This is why we have to continue to fight. To fight for the people who cannot be here. Five for the communities who have been marginalized and fight for the students who have everyday been in fear that it will will not make it home. Our voices matters and at the Supreme Court cares about my life and your life, and the lies everyone in this country, they must hear our voices. Im zion kelly, thank you. [applause] all lives matter. All lives matter. At this time, i would like to introduce chris brown, president of brady. [applause] thank you so much, brenda. And thank you, zion, for your words. I am so very sorry for your loss. We lose almost 40,000 americans a year to gun violence. Make no mistake, this is a uniquely american problem and we are going to fix it [applause] i am chris brown and i am very proud to serve as the president of brady. Founded by jim brady. Jim and sarah brady. Jim brady served as president Ronald Reagans press secretary. He was carrying out his job in front of the hilton when he was shot. Like so Many Americans devastated by gun violence, he decided to move forward and enact the brady law. That law has now stopped the sale of more than 3. 5 million guns to individuals who never should have them. Brady, we work here in d. C. With congress and across the courts and in communities to ensure that nobody has to suffer the kind of violence that far too Many Americans are suffering today. As you heard today, this case n nra fueled threat to all the progress we have made. Lets be clear. This is a lawsuit designed to force a reinterpretation of the Second Amendment. To reverse longstanding comments on gun lost. We cannot let that happen. We know every amendment in the bill of rights has certain limitations on it. The freedom of speech, the First Amendment, what cant you do . You cannot yell fire in a crowded theater. The Second Amendment is no different. When the Second Amendment was adopted, many states ruled that even required the role of how guns were stored in peoples homes. The Second Amendment did not change that. That is exactly the laws that we were have been able to enact a love the states across this country. Extreme risk laws adopted in 17 states and the District Of Columbia. You should give yourselves a hand because you all have made that happen. I had a lot more to say here and i think i just want to conclude with the following. We are a movement and we are not going to stop. Knowe all here because we that one thing that is very simple. Gun laws save lives. We are all here because we demand gun laws that save lives. And we wont quit. We wont quit. America wont quit. Veterans wont quit. Our moms wont quit. [applause] our parents, our grandparents will not quit. Legislat sense ors we elected, they wont quit. Country, thiss great country, we wont quit because none of you will quit. So, lets say it together. Gun laws. Save lives . Gun laws. Save lives thank you all for being in this fight for us. [applause] enough is enough. Enough is enough. Enough is enough. Enough is enough. Enough is enough. Enough. S enough is enough. At this time, it is my great honor to introduce connolley. Tive thank you. My fellow americans. We have a right to protect ourselves and our communities. And, the Supreme Court needs to hear from us. Virginia. T northern when we have the Virginia Tech tragedy, somebody tragedies ago, at that time, that was the worst gun massacre in American History. I was chairman of Fairfax County and we buried six young people that we can my county, including the shooter. We thought that was the worst tragedy that was ever going to fall on us. Sadly, so many names we can barely remember them since. Newtown, parkland. Massacreddren being in schools. You see how some people are afraid of our message. [cheering] but there is good news. We had elections in virginia last month. With new majorities, were going to pass gun control in the commonwealth of virginia where going to protect our communities. We are going to say no to the nra. Now, i dont know about you. After tragedies like newtown, nras answer was lets arm teachers. All i can think of was my algebra teacher. I can never give him a gun. Teaching children. They are not in the profession of Law Enforcement. Unbelievable streak of medicine coming out of the nra. By the way, im the nra congressman. Theyre headquartered in my district and they give me an f every year. [cheering[ ] i can tell you that is the proudest f i have ever earned. Ive come up with three simple things for fellow americans to think about. A, b, c. A ban on assault weapons. To protects an ar15 her home. They only exist for one reason to kill people. We van weapons we must ban assault weapons. Universal background checks, b. Americansngly, favorite. The nra used to. Nobody should be able to purchase a weapon without a background check. We could have prevented a lot of tragedies. Finally, close the gun show loophole. [cheering] in my state of virginia, you can go to a gun show and buy anything you want without any id. And that is why we are the number one state on the east coast in terms of gun trafficking. We have to close the gun show loophole. Lets say it together. A, b, c. That is a good start. I promise you, when i ran for office, i looked in the mirror and i said there have to be some things that are worth losing your office for. And that was a while ago when gun control was not so popular. But i made it one of my chief pledges, that i would always support gun control. To sit protect our communities. And now we have numbers, we have the moms who demand action. [cheering] we have the brady group. [cheering] we have every town. We are changing this debate. [cheering] virginia has shown you, virginia has shown you it is a winning debate. [ cheering] none of us are going to rest until we keep our Community Safe reasonable gun control in the United States of america. So, it is a rainy day. Thank you for coming out. This fight will continue until we prevail. And our children once again live in a safe country. Thank you so much for being here today. God bless you all. [cheering] often times, when you are in a crowd, you hear a lot of unnecessary noise. [laughter] means that the true noises worth listening to. [cheering] when you talk about us being paid, i would never want to be paid for my son getting shot. That is not why im here. Know,t in case you didnt the first word in moms demand action is volunteer. [cheering] just in case you didnt know. Just in case you didnt know, every time i speak, i speak for we onlyle, because speak out when it happens to you a lot you dont have nothing to say, but once it happens to you, im just saying this. I will still be here speaking for you. [cheering] at this time, we will have our musical tribute. [cheering] my name is Chris Matthews. This song is called signs of the times. Not the first one not the last [signs of the times [cheering] [chanting] i hope you will sing this with us at the end. Thank you. This is how change works, right . Talking about how black lives matter, how trans lives matter, how our lives matters, how students lives matter. Students lives matter. You tell the person who looks like you, you still tell somebody who looks like you, this is what i believe. You know what that person does who goes to church on sunday . They tell becky and the church pew next to her. They tell becky this is what i believe, i believe becky knew the words to say fight. Why we i want you to sing this song. It goes like this. Stand up, wont you stand up wont you stand up wont you stand up d. C. , go wont you stand up wont you stand up wont you stand up keep going lets be louder than them, d. C. wont you stand up wont you stand up wont you stand up wont you [cheering] keep fighting the good fight [cheering] [indiscernible] [chanting] isnt it a beautiful morning . [cheering] i am so happy to be here with all of you warriors this morning. Thank you. To everything that you do make all of our communities safer. My name is chelsea parsons, i run the Gun Violence Prevention Program at the center for american progress. When i was in law school, i read hundreds of cases that came out of this building. And we had the most fascinating academic debates about legal doctrine and starting in a year or so, law students are going to start reading the opinion that comes out of this case. They are going to have fascinating academic debates about [indiscernible] [laughter] but what we know is that so much more is at stake in this case then what those law students are going to debate. Abilitye is about our to elect legislators who will enact laws that will save lives. Case is about our ability to send their children to school, to the park, to the store, or anywhere else they damn well want to go without being afraid that they will not come home. Us this case is about finally taking steps to end this horrific american experiment of weak gun laws and prolific gun ownership because, you know what , it is not working. [cheering] so, thank you for being here today to make sure that those nine justices and these people here and the media and everyone is watching understand what is at stake and that we are not going anywhere. [cheering] now, i would like to introduce our next speaker, who is from the National Center for transgender equality. [cheering] thank you. Hello, everybody. Im with the National Center for transgender equality. Thank you. You may be wondering why transgender people care about this Supreme Court case today. Yes, thank you. We care because gun violence is an epidemic that is killing our community. So far this year, at least 22 transgender women have been murdered and they are mostly black transgender women. That is a murder every 16 days. Person isays, another gunned down and a whole community shakes and fear, wondering who is the next to go. The toxic combination of trans phobia and outdated gun laws make it all too easy for someone with hatred in their heart to take our lives away. The blackust three of transgender women murdered this year. Carmen, shot very close to here in fairman heights, maryland, on march 30. She was found dead of gunshot wounds around 6 30 in the morning after having a night out with friends. She had recently been named employee of the month at the Dunkin Donuts and alexandria where she worked. Her fiance told press that he could not imagine why someone would want to hurt her. She was 27 years old. Deathia booker, shot to in dallas, texas, on may 18. She had already survived an earlier attack. A month earlier, she was brutally beaten in an apartment complex in the parking lot and she bravely spoke out, noting that most transgender victims dont survive to advocate for themselves and their community. I month later, Police Responded to reports of gunshots. When they arrived on the scene, they found malaysia face down dead of gunshot wounds. She was 23 years old. Shot to death in miami, florida, my hometown, on july 31. She was coming home from a party when a young man propositioned her for sex. She refused. He chased her down, firing shots at her and her friends. She was taken to a local hospital, where she died, leaving her family tomourn. She was 21 years old. Without basic gun safety protections, the most vulnerable amongst us are at risk of death just for being our authentic selves. Those who dont think we matter are emboldened to attack us. Takeare given the means to away our lives in just one shot. This must end. For commonsense gun violence measures so we can protect our own lives. Thank you for taking action today. Together, we will protect each other. Thank you. [cheering] our next speaker is a survivor of one of the first School Shootings where many, many of us said, never again pure please welcome sally gavigan, a member of the every town network and a survivor of the columbine shooting. Good morning. Im sally gary again, i currently live in virginia by way of colorado and new york city. Years,nce my teenage theater has always given me an escape, a well needed outlet, and a place to tell really incredible stories. One story that i never hid from but i did not proactively talk about was that on april 20, 1999, i was a student at columbine high school. Like most events that change your life, my day began in the most unremarkable way. I was in my choir class as we were about to open up our music we heard a loud bang. Pandemonium broke as too heavily armed students came into our school, shooting anyone in their path. I ran. I managed to make it through the auditorium as the sounds of ricocheting bullets reached my ears from the lower common area of the school. Ofi reached the front doors the school, glass shattered and rained down in front of me. I quickly hid behind a column just as a teacher waved me toward another route to safety. While the story is heartbreaking , sadly, it is not unique. A ripple of pain, trauma, and survivors guilt occurs following every instance of gun violence. After each new tragedy, i have to admit, i was left feeling hopeless. What did i have to add to the conversation . What could i do to help . I found my voice in this movement after the parkland shooting that felt eerily similar to my own story. Andined moms demand action the every Town Survivor Network and i learned that every day in this country peoples lives are being shattered by gun violence. In this cold and rainy morning, i look around and see so many of you and hear so many voices committed to making our country safer. Me hope for the safety of my young daughter and son as they grow up, go to school, live their lives. It is because of all of us in the decades of advocacy that have come before us that our country will be safer. When columbine happened, we were told by the adults that it would never happen again. Well, we were failed. , im here before the Supreme Court of the United States to make sure that we dont fail our children. Gains of as the nation who is simply fed up. Im just fed up. Its been 20 years. That my community has had an issue. Im grateful for all of you for being here to honor through action. Action that says that we will not let our voices and the memories of our loved ones be cast aside. [cheering] we will never lose sight of those we lost. Our vision is clear as to where we must continue to go. Thank you. [applause] our next speaker is from the National Council of jewish women. [cheering] thank you. Thank you, everyone. So wonderful to look out and see you while on this beautiful morning at the Supreme Court. Im the chief policy officer for the National Council of jewish women and im here this morning on behalf of our 90,000 advocates and supporters across the country who work every day, every week, every month, every year, year in and year out, to keep their communities safe from senseless gun violence. We do this guided by the jewish value we believe in respect and dignity for all human beings. Throughout our history, we have done just that. We have worked with you on initiatives in california, washington state, new jersey, passing incredible gun safety laws over the past two years. And so much more. In the wake of federal inaction, we know the states are leading the way to save lives. Why . Because there is overwhelming public support for gun safety laws. Right . Exactly. In 2018 alone, a record 67 new gun safety laws were enacted across the country. And the District Of Columbia right here. Study show that legal restrictions on gun ownership and purchasing guns tends to be a reduction in gun violence. The nra wants the Supreme Court to challenge gun safety laws across the country. Let me be clear. Every gun safety law is at risk. Newsflash. America has a gun violence problem. Right . Our movie theaters, our places of worship, our homes, our streets, our schools, festivals, concerts are not safe. Publicntioned, the support is doing something about it. We have made progress at the ballot box, in state legislatures, Appellate Courts around the country which are the majority of these cases found that these lifesaving measures with thestent constitution, Supreme Court precedent, and we know that in the majority of cases we know that these courts have upheld the Constitutional Rights we hold dear, including the right to live free from gun violence. Now, the nra wants the Supreme Court to roll back all of that progress and more. You know what i say . I say gun laws save lives. Gun laws save lives. One more time. Gun laws save lives. Nras extreme approach the Supreme Court must reject this attempt to roll back in gun safety laws. Thank you. [cheering] our next speaker is a friend to the movement, a friend who has been working on this issue for decades, is that right . Just horowitz. [cheering] hello horowitz, imh with the coalition to stop gun violence and we believe gun violence should be rare and abnormal. Most people know me as a quiet gentleman, but not today. I will be loud. We are in the midst of a multi generational fight for our country. For years, the gun lobby said guns will keep us free, but that is not true. Domestic violence, violence, suicide, mass shootings, Police Violence limits where we go, how we worship, and what we do. We wont take that anymore. Guns dont make us free. They bring death and violence and injustice. Is fundamentally clear that guns dont keep us free, they can find what we do and where we go. Strong andade, a powerful movement has developed, millions strong and we are gaining every day. We enacted datadriven, Public Health based laws to save lives. The empty rhetoric of the gun lobby is wrong. We save lives, we use Public Health, we are here to win. In virginialections show just how strong we are. [cheering] now that it is clear that the gun lobby cannot beat us at the ballot box, they try to engineer victory behind us through a corrupt president , a corrupt majority leader, they are trying to do that in the courts, but we are not going to let them. We should not be here today. This case is moot. The integrity of our democracy depends on the Roberts Court doing the right thing and i think they will. Hard,sten, we worked too we have worked too hard to give up now. We cannot turn back the progress. If the gun lobby thinks they can stop us, they are absolutely wrong. No matter what happens in this case, we are committed to making this country free from gun violence. When i started working on this, there was just a few of us. That was a couple years ago. Now, there are millions of us. Our democracy depends on it. Because you are here, im so proud to stand with all of you and bear witness to the fact that we will never give up. Thank you. [cheering] so, you might recognize our next speaker from the main stage at the march for our lives. Hall where cnn town he had a conversation with president obama. You probably dont recognize him from all of the work that he has done in his own community in chicago for years and years that never gets the recognition that it deserves. Please help me in welcoming and giving that recognition here today [cheering] thank you. First off, i want to start off with a chant. Every day shootings are everyday problems. Everyday shootings are everyday problems. One more time. Everyday shootings are everyday problems. Thank you. Leaders the brave youth and im here to speak for chicago and those cities across the nation that are being shot and killed on a daily basis. About theo on a rant many injustices taking place in america, i want people to understand why we are so upset. What happens to a bus driver who shows up to work late and when they finally show up, they dont stick to their route . They get fired. What happens to the salesman who cannot make a single sale . They get fired. What happens to a Security Guard that cant keep a single thing secured . They get fired. How does any of this correlate . It is clear that for most professions in america, if you dont do your job, you get fired. It seems that most politicians in washington dont know this. Capitol hill is not exempt. Mitch mcconnell, you are not exempt from the unemployment line. [cheering] trust me when i say this, donald trump and the word jobless will be synonymous real soon. [cheering] this statements hold weight for more than just mr. Donald. It goes for all the people representing this country. When you allow 35,000 people to die by gun violence every year, you are not doing her job. When you lot kids in cages, you are not doing your job. When you do nothing when they slap the cuffs around the wrists of black people five times more than white people, you are not doing your job. While we are here, lets talk about chicago. Im tired of hearing chicago this and chicago that from people who have never set foot on the south or west side of chicago. We are tired of listening to people who only come to see navy pier, people who know nothing about chicago, but love to say chicago has violence that is always gangrelated. Allow me to clarify some things. 60 of guns recovered from chicago crime scenes come from outofstate. Which means that our gun laws are not effective if their states have none. Killedin shot and sitting in his car. Blair hope, shot and killed in a bus on his way home from school. Corey parker, shot and killed around the corner from his home. Another shot and killed getting ready for school. Donte smith, shot and killed at a block party. Donte willis, while riding in a car. While sitting in a restaurant. In a park near her school. My brother, shot and killed at Church Getting ready for band rehearsal. Contrary to what many Media Outlets and officials want you to believe, these deaths were not due to them doing anything wrong, but rather they were living their lives as normal. The problem with the bracken blanc communities in Chicago Black and brown communities in chicago are the same as the rest in america, School Systems are underfunded, politicians are overpaid, antiviolence programs are under resourced. Police are rarely held accountable. All live supposedly matter, but black and brown lives are taken on a daily basis. This is an american problem. She has not valued the lives of the black, brown, and poor. By those innored capitol hill. The crimes to the nations children are to be heard across the world and you cant turn a blind eye or a deaf ear to the matter. Your job is to represent all the people who call this country home. Remember that when you step in your office and go to bed at night. I hope the Supreme Court makes the proper decision. Thank you. [cheering] pundits always talk about how we have a passion on our side of this issue passion gap on our side of the issue. Do you feel the passion gap today . I feel like maybe the gap has shifted to the other side of the issue . I dont know. It seems a little lopsided today. We have one final speaker this morning. Im really pleased to introduce her today. Thank you all so much for being here. For making a really strong statement this morning. I want to welcome to the stage a survivor of the shooting in parkland. [cheering] good morning. Im a college student, a black woman, and a survivor of the valentines day shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in parkland, florida. Im blown away by todays speakers. We have heard from mothers, fathers, advocates, lawmakers, and survivors. What unites us . We live in the United States of america, where gun violence is a daily threat and occurrence, particularly in black and brown communities. I have planned out what i would do in a School Shooting since my freshman year. We always said it was not a matter of when it would happen or if, but when. The one was february 2018. There have been over 30 School Shootings across the country since then. One of the latest in santa clarita, california. The students marched out of their classroom last year in solidarity with my high school. This year, they understand what it is about firsthand sadly. No matter what school you go to, gun violence is a reality. We are united and working to change our reality, but the nra has used our Justice System to advance a radical and irrational agenda that would potentially eliminate attractions that have been hardfought that make our communities safer. They are working against us. This is a shame. This suit uses a law that no longer exists to push for policies and strange interpretations of the Second Amendment that most of this country does not agree with. [cheering] court in some way advances the nra interpretation, it could eliminate or lessen the hundreds of gun safety laws passed by states and local governments to keep citizens safe, to keep us safe. In the year after the parkland shooting, states passed approximately 69 new gun safety measures. Laws intended to stop experiences like mine when i would be sitting in my history class one minute, then hiding underneath my classmates body as the gunman shoots into my classroom killing him and my other classmate the next minute. We will not accept students being shot in their schools. We will not accept families waiting to find out if their children will come home. We will not accept families being torn apart by bullets and violence. We will not accept to nra agenda. [cheering] we will not accept any more gun violence. That is why i need you to join me in telling the nra and this room court and telling them that this is wrong. There can be no more parkland, no more Saugus High School, no more sandy hook, no more las vegas, and no more el paso. No more the daily violence that is not picked up in the news media, the violence that often affects minority communities. My uncle was shot in the back and killed in brooklyn when he was just 18 years old. It is a story that is far too similar to families and communities disproportionately affected by gun violence. My classmates should be here. My uncle should be here. The two students killed in Saugus High School should be here. They should have been at thanksgiving dinner with their families that week. This morning, i want the justices to hear us. Through the walls of the court. To hear that the American People, all of us, will not usept the laws that make less safe. We are fed up. I want them to hear enough is enough. Say it with me. Enough is enough. Enough is enough. Enough is enough. [chanting] i want to thank you all for coming out this morning. We have made so much progress and we have shown once again that our movement is stronger than ever and that we are ready to fight in every arena to pass and defend gun laws that keep us safe. Lets take this energy back into our communities and keep fighting for what we believe in. Thank you. [applause] all right. Thank you all for coming out this morning and sticking with us through a little bit of inclement weather. We areht is not over and all going to keep our voices raised and loud. Go organize rallies, go keep doing all the work you do already. Thank you. [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2019] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org]