Moms to Rally for 'Gun Sense in America' at Simmons' Office

Local moms that are part of a group called Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America will rally at state Rep. Justin Simmons' (R-131) Coopersburg office Wednesday in honor of Domestic Gun Violence Awareness Month, according to a news release.

The rally will take place at Simmons' office in the Village Center shopping center on N. Main Street at noon.

According to the news release, featured speakers will include Linda Morrison, Lehigh Valley ambassador of the Pennsylvania chapter of Moms Demand Action, and Julia Ramsey, President of Pennsylvania NOW.

“We are asking Congress to protect women from domestic abusers by immediately enacting common ­sense reforms that will help keep guns out of dangerous hands,” said Christine Licata, chapter leader of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America–Pennsylvania Chapter. "It is far too easy for an abuser or someone with a domestic violence conviction to get his hands on a gun without a background check. We urgently need better policies that protect women and their families from this senseless violence. No American, adult or child, should live in a perpetual state of fear. It’s inhumane.”

The press release indicated that House Bill 1010, which is currently being considered by the Pennsylvania state legislature, would close a "dangerous" gun-buying loophole and enforce the law that prohibits dangerous people from buying long guns.

Moms Demand Action is partnering with the Violence Policy Center (VPC) to promote a report, "When Men Murder Women: An Analysis of 2011 Homicide Data," which lists the top 10 states with the highest rates of females murdered by males in single victim/single offender incidents in 2011, the release also said.

Photo: Patch file photo