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Boge Quinn
Gun Rights Activists Mock Failed
'Million' Mom March
Susan Jones, CNSNews.com
Monday, May 10, 2004
It wasn't a "Million Mom March" - it
was a "thousand gang limp," said one Second Amendment supporter,
describing Sunday's anti-gun march in Washington.
The Washington Post, which ran the story on page
B-1, said "thousands" of people, mostly women, marched to "end
gun violence" on Sunday.
The newspaper described the rally as "the largest
gun-control demonstration in four years," then went on to say, "The
rally lacked star power, and certainly the numbers, of the first Million
Mom March in 2000, when hundreds of thousands of women flooded the Mall
on Mother's Day."
The Washington Post said organizers of this year's event
estimated the number of attendees "at close to 3,000." The
Associated Press put the number at 2,000, according to John Michael
Snyder, public affairs director of Citizens
Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA).
Snyder said the rally showed "the good citizens of
the United States of America would rather spend Mother's Day enjoying
their time with the mothers of America than wasting it on Brady bunch
nonsense."
The so-called "Halt the Assault" rally was organized
by Million Mom March in connection with Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun
Violence. The two groups merged after the first Million Mom March.
'Pitiful'
According to Snyder, Sunday's march "drew such a
pitiful crowd of supporters that automobile traffic on the bridges crossing
the Potomac River from Virginia into Washington, D.C. flowed more quickly
than normal," despite full-page newspaper ads urging gun control
supporters to attend the rally.
Snyder suggested that given the cost of the newspaper
ads and the low turnout, Brady Campaign was "wasting contributors'
money."
The marchers demanded an extension of the ban on certain
semi-automatic weapons, which is set to expire in September. But Snyder
said the low turnout "shows clearly that there certainly is not massive
popular support for extending the ban on so-called assault weapons beyond
the September sunset date."
"The fact of the matter is that there never was such
support for the ban," Snyder said.
He suggested that if Brady Campaign really wants to boost
public safety, "let them join us in supporting congressional moves
to overcome foot-dragging on the part of the Transportation Security Administration
regarding the arming of commercial airline pilots."
Undeterred by the lackluster showing at Sunday's gun-control
rally, organizers said the "Halt the Assault Tour" would travel
across the continent "to raise public awareness" about the impending
demise of the "assault weapons ban."
In a press release issued on Sunday, the gun-control group
announced that "thousands of committed activists today kicked off
a national campaign to save America's assault weapons law, scheduled to
expire in September, after a day of pleas that President Bush keep his
campaign promise to rescue the ban."
Do Enviros Know About This Gas
Guzzler?
Activists will travel the nation in a 26-foot pink recreational
vehicle that will stop in dozens of cities, starting with a visit to the
site of the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia this coming Thursday. The tour
will cover at least 20 states and include stops at the Democrat and Republican
national conventions, Million Mom March announced.
"America doesn't want to turn back the clock, and
see these reckless killing machines return to our streets just as our
children are going back to school," said Shikha Hamilton,
national spokeswoman for Million Mom March. "President Bush
has the power to save the assault weapons ban. All he has to do is pick
up the phone."
It's up to Congress to renew the gun ban, and although
President Bush has indicated he supports renewal, he has not discussed
it or pressured Congress to act.
"There are 127 days left, beginning today, before
the assault weapons ban expires. There are only about 50 legislative days
left, when Congress can receive President Bush's clear call for action
on renewal," said Michael Barnes, president of Brady Campaign
to Prevent Gun Violence united with Million Mom March.
"We will not rest. We will do everything we can to
ensure that all Americans are aware of this deadline. There are literally
lives hanging in the balance."
The "Big Pink Rig" is scheduled to visit Richmond,
Va.; Raleigh, N.C.; St. Louis; Minneapolis; Milwaukee; Cleveland; Philadelphia;
Pittsburgh; Portland, Maine; Boston; New York; Detroit; Denver; Albuquerque,
N.M.; Phoenix, Ariz.; Portland, Ore.; and Seattle. The Rig will likely
tour California, New Hampshire, Indiana, Illinois and other states as
well, Million Mom March announced.
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