Gun control group to march over Brooklyn Bridge, call for tougher laws

6/14/2014

NEW YORK — Hundreds of demonstrators are expected to march across the Brooklyn Bridge to call for tougher gun control laws.

Today’s demonstration, which comes after a wave of mass shootings across the U.S., is being underwritten by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, one of the nation’s most visible gun control advocates.

The marchers — who will include relatives of some of those slain in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting — will gather in downtown Brooklyn and then march across the bridge to City Hall. They will then hold a demonstration outside the building’s gates and chant “Not one more,” the rallying cry uttered by Richard Martinez, whose son Christopher was shot to death in Santa Barbara, California, last month, according to organizers.

Other speakers include Shannon Watts, who organized the group Moms Demand Action, the actress Amanda Peet, and the mothers of several gun victims. Additionally, Erica Lafferty — whose mother Dawn Hochspring was the principal at Sandy Hook — is expected to address the crowd and call for tougher federal laws.

The event is being run by several groups — including Moms Demand Action, Everytown For Gun Safety and Mayors Against Illegal Guns — which are all bankrolled by the billionaire former mayor. Bloomberg, who will not be in attendance, has pumped millions of his own money into the anti-gun cause, even after leaving office in December. His successor, Bill de Blasio, has praised Bloomberg’s efforts but will not be attending the rally.

Seven people, including the shooter, were killed in Santa Barbara on May 23. Two people, including the shooter, were killed Tuesday at an Oregon high school, the second school shooting in a week.