The number of mass shootings in the country has multiple people within our state fired up and fighting for gun restrictions.
Mothers United Against Violence is familiar with the grief that comes with losing a loved one. The group has worked with the families of gun violence victims for the last 20 years and their latest push is to keep the conversation around guns alive to see changes implemented.
At the corner of Albany Avenue and Main Street, passionate pleas and united voices could be heard around the neighborhood. The common message is a call for action to prevent the next shooting and gun violence victims.
"The number of people that have been maimed by bullets of gun violence and you don't see nothing happening is devastating," said Reverend Henry Brown with Mother's United Against Violence. "We need to see these changes, we need it done right away, we need to see these laws implemented so we can give these people who have ideas to shoot somebody that we're going to hold you accountable."
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Mothers United Against Violence is usually seen with the families of gun violence victims after shootings. On Thursday night, they stood side by side with people who, like them, want to see the nation's top leaders take the first steps toward gun restrictions.
Sandy Aquino lost her nephew nearly three years ago after he was shot and killed. Aquino brought her grandchildren to the call to action to teach them that they don't have to pick up a gun to solve a problem.
"It's not worth it, it's not worth your life, we're losing too many people and it's not worth it," Aquino said.
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The motivation behind the rally can be traced back to the recent shootings in Buffalo, New York, Uvalde, Texas, and Tulsa, Oklahoma.
As the people who showed up to the call to action think about the lives lost in the recent mass shootings and the loved ones they lost, they tell NBC Connecticut they want to see solutions to issues surrounding guns.
"If you can take them off the streets and stop letting the people that shouldn't have them that would make a big difference," said Mary May, who lost two of her grandchildren to gun violence.
