Groups rally against gun law loopholes
RALEIGH (WTVD) -- Closing deadly loopholes is what a group that rallied in Raleigh Thursday said is key to saving people from gun violence.
Around 5 p.m., Everytown Survivor Network and Moms Demand Action rallied outside the building that houses Senator Thom Tillis' office on New Bern Avenue. More than groups took part in what's called Whatever It Takes Day of Action rallies in more than 50 cities across North Carolina, Virginia and Washington, D.C.
In Asheville, Harry Pryde rallied. His daughter Julia was murdered in the Virginia Tech shooting in April of 2007.
Andy Parker rallied in Washington, D.C. Parker is the father of Alison Parker, the reporter who was gunned down on live television in Virginia two weeks ago on August 26.
"We stand with him," said Laura Morgan, a volunteer with Moms Demand Action who rallied in Raleigh.
The group Morgan organized in Raleigh held signs that read "Whatever It Takes". Those are the same words Andy Parker has been saying ever since his daughter was killed in his promise to change gun laws.
"What we're looking for today is a commitment from our legislators to close the loopholes on the background checks," said Morgan. "Private gun sales go on without background checks all the time, so gun shows, Craigslist, Facebook."
Another loophole she pointed out is one even the FBI talked about shortly after Dylann Roof was arrested for the Charleston church shooting that killed nine people on June 17. If a dealer doesn't hear from the FBI after the standard three-day waiting period to sell a gun, federal law allows the dealer to decide if they want to sell. That is how the FBI said Roof was able to get a gun even with a criminal record.
It's for those reasons Morgan rallies, to fight for better procedures and to make the world a little safer for her children.
"I want them to know they can go to school, that they can go to the movies, go to Target and Harris Teeter and know they're not at risk of gun violence."
