Anne Geggis
Rain or shine, community leaders, including the wife of a Parkland shooting victim, are having a Saturday vigil for the 31 victims of two mass shooting events — one of four Florida events national gun safety groups are hosting in the coming days.
Debbi Hixon was galvanized to run for Broward County School Board after her husband, Coach Chris Hixon, was killed at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in 2018. Hixon is on the schedule to speak at the Sunrise vigil that’s being put together by two gun law reform groups, along with a slew of other leaders.
Local chapters of the national gun safety groups, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America and Students Demand Action for Gun Sense are organizing the 10 a.m. vigil. It will take place Saturday at the Sunrise Amphitheater, 10610 W. Oakland Park Blvd. in Sunrise.
The two affiliated groups are also having Saturday events in Tampa and St. Petersburg. On Wednesday, the groups are having an event in West Palm Beach.
The 10 people who died in a Buffalo shooting will be honored, as well as the 19 students and two teachers who died in the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
Others on the roster to make an appearance for Saturday’s Sunrise event are:
— Senate Democratic Leader Lauren Book.
— Miami-area Democratic Sen. Shevrin Jones.
— Democratic Rep. Christine Hunschofsky, who was Mayor of Parkland when the high school in her town became synonymous with “school shooting.”
— Sunrise Mayor Mike Ryan.
Volunteers from Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action will also be a part of the Saturday event. Organizers are hoping to draw a crowd of 200 to 300, according to a release.
Attendees will be receiving information about what action they can take to increase public safety.
“Enough is enough, and Moms Demand Action volunteers are encouraging the community to get involved in-person and help lawmakers hear our voices,” the news release issued Thursday says. “Change is needed and it’s needed NOW!”
The flier for the event shows “thoughts and prayers” crossed out and “policy and change” written next to it.
2 comments
PeterH
May 27, 2022 at 9:13 am
The USA is number 1 in gun related deaths on planet earth.
Sensible gun reform legislation is now left up to Republicans who are in the pockets of various gun lobbyists. All Democrats are on board with new common sense revisions to the Second Amendment. If in the coming weeks Republicans obfuscate their responsibility to keep Americans safe with common sense restrictions what will you do? Will you keep voting for Republicans. You and your children have skin in this deadly game.
Karen Kirkpatrick
May 27, 2022 at 10:15 pm
I am attending my first rally against gun violence tomorrow as voting in elections alone isn’t getting the job done; our elected officials are either not listening or are powerless because of Republicans. It is time we stop allowing a handful of states which prefer the gun culture to dictate to most of the rest of the country who do not embrace their gun fascination. I find it repulsive and more than odd to hear someone describe themselves as a “proud gun owner”. Just how and why does the adjective “proud” have a purpose in describing your relationship with a dangerous weapon? People are proud of their kids, their achievements, their homes, their schools even, their sports teams, their golf game, even their cars. BUT, proud because you own a gun??? All you had to do was buy it. How does that make you proud? Proud to own something that kills people? If this makes you “proud” then I do not want to know what makes you ashamed.
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