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Moms Demand Action: Wear Orange for gun violence survivors

Posted at 7:31 PM, Jun 03, 2018
and last updated 2018-06-03 20:31:01-04

More than 2,700 children and teens are shot and killed every year, and there have already been 25 school shootings this year alone resulting in injury or death, according to Every Town for Gun Safety.

And this week, they along with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America are holding a national awareness campaign to wear orange for gun violence survivors.

"It’s got to stop, somehow or another it’s got to stop," said Clarice Gallegos, one of the organizers for the Lafayette chapter of Moms Demand Action. "They just don’t need to be in kids hands or in the hands of people who are mentally ill. We lobby Congress, state and federal, to change the gun laws. We’ve been to the capitol I don’t know how many times. We successfully kept guns out of the hands of teachers this year."

By pushing for smarter gun ownership and stricter background checks, they are hoping to prevent tragic incidents involving kids and gun violence.

"We’re not against the Second Amendment, we’re not trying to take the hunter’s guns away from them. If you want to have a gun, be responsible. And that’s what BeSmart [campaign] is, responsible gun ownership, lock it up," said Gallegos. 

"I am wearing an orange t-shirt because this is gun survivors weekend. And I believe we need legislation to make it much harder for people who will use guns for nefarious ends to access them," said Jackie Phelps who is a member of Moms Demand Action.

And for Gallegos and Phelps, this issue hits close to home.

"I personally am a survivor of gun violence as is my sister, our father was murdered when I was approximately 7, she was 5," said Phelps who is still affected by the tragedy to this day.

"I testified at the committee hearing. I was a domestic violence survivor so gun violence was prevalent even thirty years ago when that happened. You know, it’s something you never forget when you’re threatened with a gun, you just never forget it. So thankfully the trigger was never pulled and I’m here to tell the story," said Gallegos.

And people from both sides of the political spectrum are calling for action as well.

"We have to do something about it, we have to do something. We have to act," said President Trump in a press conference.