AUSTIN, Texas -- A 10-day road trip by gun-control advocates, calling on senators to pass background checks on all gun sales, will end in Washington, D.C. this week.

As part of the "Everytown for Gun Safety" event, volunteers with Texas Students Demand Action and Moms Demand Action gathered at the Texas State Capitol last Friday.

Since the first of April, there have been multiple mass shootings in the U.S.

Shannon Watts, founder of the group Moms Demand Action, believes Americans are ready for commonsense gun laws, including last week's proposals from President Joe Biden.

"We should be celebrating the reopening of businesses and schools after a long, brutal year of COVID," Watts remarked. "And instead, Americans are wondering if gun violence will also be part of the return to normal."

In a Twitter post last week, Gov. Greg Abbott encouraged lawmakers to bring him legislation to sign that would make Texas a "Second Amendment Sanctuary State."

Meanwhile, the National Rifle Association, the country's largest gun lobbying group, is hoping a federal judge in Texas will grant it bankruptcy protection, which would allow them to reincorporate as a Texas nonprofit.

As a white woman living in the suburbs, Watts acknowledged she waited too long to get involved in the issue of gun violence, and did so only because she was afraid her own children weren't safe in their schools.

"Shame on me, shame on other white women and Americans who waited way too long to get involved in this issue," Watts commented. "Black and Brown women have been doing this work for decades with very little visibility."

Watts added the group Moms Demand Action now has six million volunteers, and will make 60 stops in 22 states, culminating with a demonstration in the nation's capital Friday.

Background checks on those who purchase firearms at gun shows may soon be expanded.

The Justice Department last week issued a directive to close the so-called "gun show loophole." A final rule submitted to the Federal Register changes the definition of firearm sellers, ultimately requiring they obtain a federal firearms license to sell guns at gun shows, flea markets and over the internet.

Miranda Viscoli, co-president of New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence, welcomed the new rule.

"There is no reason why anybody should be able to walk into any gun show in the United States of America, if there's not a background check law at the state level, and be able to purchase firearms, no questions asked," Viscoli contended.

The new rule would classify around 23,000 vendors as licensed firearms dealers, making their gun sales subject to checks. The Biden administration has said the rule does not conflict with the Second Amendment, but two Republican senators have already announced plans to introduce a joint resolution to overturn the rule.

Earlier this year, New Mexico lawmakers approved, and the governor signed, several firearms-related bills. One prohibits guns within 100-feet of polling places during a state election. And Viscoli said another bill could reduce the number of sales at gun shows.

"In New Mexico, and this does pertain to gun shows, we just passed a seven-day hold on the sale of firearms," Viscoli noted. "That's going to make it very difficult for gun shows because they would have to mail those guns to people."

In starting her position in 2013, Viscoli attended gun shows to see how easy or difficult it was to buy guns. Despite telling dealers she had forgotten her driver's license and had no identification, she said she was assured it wouldn't be a problem. Ten years later, she believes the proliferation of guns is out of control.

"It's coming to define who we are both as a state in New Mexico and as a country," Viscoli observed. "I mean, when gun violence is a leading cause of death for young people, I don't know why we're not sitting at the table and figuring, 'What the heck do we do about this?'"


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Leaders from across Alabama are banding together in a united effort to combat gun violence and seek effective solutions.

Alabama has one of the highest rates of gun violence in the country, with 25 gun deaths per 100,000 residents, almost double the national average.

Nikesha Tilton, gun violence prevention leader for the group Moms Demand Action, said one key contributor is the lack of gun safety protections and programs. She outlined key areas for improvement:

"A good ecosystem has several parts," Tilton explained. "You would have community violence intervention teams that consist of street outreach workers and also having significant programs for youths."

She noted another key part missing in the state's ecosystem to reduce gun violence is collaboration among community groups. She called attention to the work of the Selma Center for Nonviolence, Truth, and Reconciliation as an example. It has reduced homicides by 50% through its work.

To address the issues, Moms Demand Action, Faith in Action Alabama and other organizations will be hosting a summit at the Old Ship AME Zion Church today from 9 a.m. until 2:30 p.m.

Highlighting the struggle for resources as a significant barrier, Tilton believes the summit will play a critical role in addressing limitations by seeking effective strategies to overcome obstacles.

"Funding, making sure that we're doing the work to have intentional relationship building," Tilton pointed out. "Those are two barriers. There's also legislation that could be put in place. "

Tilton hopes the summit will shed light on other avenues to reduce gun violence, such as mental health services, hospital intervention and victim compensation. According to Everytown Research, Alabama experiences an average of more than 1,100 gun-related deaths and more than 3,000 injuries per year.

Minnesota lawmakers return this week following an Easter break. They're expected to resume talks on a gun-safety proposal seeing renewed urgency, after the recent fatal shooting of three first responders.

The February tragedy brought renewed focus on straw purchases, where a person buys a firearm for another individual deemed ineligible to have one.

Authorities say the deceased suspect who carried out the attack used guns bought by his girlfriend.

State Rep. Kaela Berg - DFL-Burnsville - represents the city in which the shooting occurred. She's sponsored a bill that would make straw purchases a felony.

Berg recently spoke before the Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee about the plan.

"This bill," said Berg, "is one more step we can take - in addition to other actions taken by this committee - to keep our families and law enforcement safe from gun violence."

Similar legislation surfaced last year, and there are Senate versions in the current session. The idea of strengthening penalties for straw purchases has strong bipartisan support.

However, Berg's version also includes a ban on binary trigger devices, which allow a semi-automatic gun to fire at an increased rate.

Republicans argue that shouldn't be included in the plan, citing Second Amendment issues.

Committee member state Rep. Matt Grossell - R-Clearbrook - was among those questioning the inclusion of the trigger ban provision.

"To me, it mucks it up," said Grossell. "That is something to be dealt with seperately from the straw purchase. "

But Berg, a Democrat, said one of these devices was found to be used in the February attack.

It's unclear which version will be put on the fast track for final approval later this session. The House measure was laid over for possible inclusion in a larger omnibus bill.




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