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Protesters in DC call for nationwide ban on assault weapons
FOX 5's Tom Fitzgerald reports that passions flared on Capitol Hill Wednesday afternoon as hundreds demonstrated at the Capitol calling on Congress to create a national ban on assault weapons in the wake of recent mass shootings.
WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) - Passions flared on Capitol Hill Wednesday afternoon as hundreds demonstrated at the Capitol calling on Congress to create a national ban on assault weapons in the wake of recent mass shootings.
It's only been a couple of days since a new "red flag" gun control bill was signed into law by the president.
Protestors call the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act a good start, but they want more — specifically, a national assault weapon ban and universal background checks. People from Highland Park, Illinois, and Uvalde, Texas helped deliver the message.
The group March Fourth formed after a mass shooter in Highland Park killed seven people at a Fourth of July parade.
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Despite Republicans and Democrats just passing new gun control measures, marchers like Laura Medina — whose 10-year-old cousin Exavior Lopez was killed in Uvalde — tell FOX 5 they came to Washington because their work isn't over.
"We need to fight! We need to fight for him because he can't fight for himself," Medina said. "Enough is enough There’s no opportunity to wait, we have a lot of momentum we have a lot of people very angry and very upset."
Gun rights advocates, however, point to a big increase in gun-related crime, outside of mass shootings, like carjackings and robberies.
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Activist march taking place in DC to demand ban on assault weapons
March Fourth spokesperson and Highland Park shooting survivor Emily Lieberman shares what activists hope to accomplish as they march in D.C. on Wednesday and why they believe assault weapons should be banned in the U.S.
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Data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) shows gun homicides at the highest in 40 years. Mark Pennak, president of the group Maryland Shall Issue says safety concerns are driving more people to want guns.
"These are ordinary people who feel in danger," he said. "For example Baltimore, one of the most dangerous places on the face of the earth; certainly most dangerous in Maryland. And there are a lot of people who feel greatly at risk in Baltimore and for good reason."
There have been 333 mass shootings so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive.