Opponents of gun violence will mark the two-month anniversary of the Newtown massacre with a Valentine’s Day rally and candle-light vigil on the historic Morristown Green.
“The most important thing is for the New Jersey congressional delegation to see and understand the depth of dissatisfaction that so many people have about the unacceptable level of gun violence in this country every day,” said Morristown Councilwoman Rebecca Feldman, co-founder of the Morris Area Committee to Reduce Gun Violence.
The Feb. 14 rally is scheduled to start at 5 pm and last an hour. There will be brief remarks from medical experts and area clergy, Rebecca said. Music by the Morristown Neighborhood House Chorus and Grace Madison Children’s Choir also is anticipated.
Organizers are asking people to bring candles, flashlights or glow sticks for the vigil, and to wear paper hearts–inspired by the One Million Moms for Gun Control “Have a Heart” letter-writing campaign to Congress.
The Morris Area Committee to Reduce Gun Violence is hoping for a big turnout, Rebecca said, because “that’s what it will take to stand up to the NRA, which does not represent most Americans. It’s position doesn’t even represent all gun owners.”
About 40 Morristown-area residents came to the Morristown & Township Library last month for the committee’s first meeting. The organization describes itself as nonpartisan–Rebecca Feldman is an Independent–and defines its mission as “getting common sense gun legislation passed.”
Since 26 children and faculty members were gunned down in December by a distraught 20-year-old at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT, thousands more Americans have been killed by guns, Rebecca said.
“Gun manufacturers can’t continue to profit at the expense of our children’s lives,” she said.
MORE COVERAGE OF THE NEWTOWN AFTERMATH
“The organization describes itself as nonpartisan” let’s call it what it is; an attack on our Second Amendment rights and an attack on responsible gun ownership. Stop trying to make them out to be the criminals. If it truly were a “nonpartisan” effort you would be welcoming the opinion of gun advocates as well as the NRA. Rebecca, you should stick to your council duties, for instance; trying to disarm the law breaking people in town or cleaning up all the day laborers in front of Morris News so I guy can run in and grab a paper on his way to work. Now you can’t even find a parking spot due to all the work vans and pick up trucks bidding on laborers. But this you chose to ignore, this is the “diversity” that Morristown brings. Yeah, diversity is all fine and well for people like you until you find “diversity” passed out on your lawn in the morning, or in your living room unplugging your 51” TV. Then it’s not all the wonderful.
“that’s what it will take to stand up to the NRA, which does not represent most Americans. its position doesn’t even represent all gun owners”. Thanks for a quote that has absolutely nothing to support it. The NRA is the foremost authority on gun ownership, safety and training, yet you dub them as the enemy. If you were really interested in curbing gun violence, these are the people you would call in to help. Instead you put yourself in the forefront as the authority, the day you carry more merit as the NRA when it comes to firearm knowledge that is when your empty quotes will gain credibility. Until then do a little research so you at least sound like you know what you’re talking about. For you to make up these statistics about the position of must gun owners proves you are out of your element. As a citizen of Morristown I will make it my #1 priority to make 2015 not only your last year as a Morristown council member but elected to any seat in our local government. You don’t have a clue as to what is important to your constitutes.