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Gun control advocates rally at Virginia Capitol

February 25, 2013

We’re not trying to stop people from owning guns; we’re trying to stop people from getting access to guns who shouldn’t have them,” Andy Goddard said. “We already have a list of people who aren’t eligible to own weapons, and we still allow them to be sold to them. That’s ridiculous.

— Andy Goddard, Moms Demand Action

By Mark Robinson – Capital News Service

Discussion of the Newtown shooting brought out an emotional response from many advocates. Photo by Amber Shiflett, CNS.

Discussion of the Newtown shooting brought out an emotional response from many advocates. Photo by Amber Shiflett, CNS.

RICHMOND – Calls for stricter gun laws after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in December did not persuade the Virginia General Assembly to pass such legislation during its 2013 session.

But as legislators adjourned Saturday, protesters at the state Capitol said the fight is just beginning.

About 35 people marched to the General Assembly. Some held signs bearing the names of lost loved ones. Others picketed with signs referring to the 26 people killed in Newtown, Conn., two months ago and the 32 killed at Virginia Tech in 2007.

“It’s the last day of the session, but the conversation on gun laws in America and Virginia is just starting,” said Gena Reeder, a spokesperson for Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, formerly known as One Million Moms for Gun Control.

Police separated the two groups of advocates. Photo by Amber Shiflett, CNS.

Police separated the two groups of advocates. Photo by Amber Shiflett, CNS.

The organization supports banning assault rifles, eliminating the sale of high-capacity magazines and revising Virginia’s concealed weapons laws, Reeder said. To close what many call the gun-show loophole, the state should require mandatory background checks for private firearms sales, she said.

“We don’t want the wrong people to have the wrong guns,” Reeder said.

Read the entire story at rappnews.com

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