KENMORE, Wash. — A rally in one North Sound community to end gun violence attracted about 50 people to Kenmore City Hall, calling for an end to gun violence.
But the event organizer says it will take more than restrictions to effect change.
Kenmore’s deputy mayor believes there has to be a change in how we interact with each other.
It was a message she delivered at Kenmore City Hall.
Melanie O’Cain believes that we have lost a bit of our humanity over the last few years. She says getting that back will help end some of this violence.
“Let’s talk about May 24th, the day that Uvalde, Texas, occurred,” said O’Cain.
The deadly school shooting in Uvalde, Texas moved O’Cain to act.
“It was really disheartening for so many people in our community,” O’Cain told the crowd. “And it was time to face that we have not made enough progress to end gun violence in this nation.”
So, O’Cain organized this forum and rally for Kenmore residents to consider what they can do to create change.
She chose as the keynote speaker, Emily Cantrell, a survivor of the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history in Las Vegas in 2017, who now devotes her life to helping change the nation’s gun laws.
“It should not have to be that we live in a society with the most mass shootings of any country on Earth,” Cantrell said, “where the number of mass shootings outpaces the number of days in a year.”
That same conviction spurred these women to hold signs to help sway those driving by.
“I just know there’s an answer and we’ve got to get to it,” said Janet Hays of Kenmore, “and one is standing out and waving at people and showing that you care.”
Stacey Valenzuela of Kenmore believes that change is happening.
“Yes, I do,” said Valenzuela. “I’m excited about it. It’s all over the news and that’s how we get change.”
But this Kenmore resident says there are already enough restrictions on the right to bear arms.
“But what we need to do is accept those restrictions,” said John Peeples, “and also return to the days when people, you know, regard each other you as they regard themselves.”
King County councilmember Rod Dembowski — who was present at the rally — says the county should create a program to take back unwanted guns.
On Tuesday, he plans to introduce a bill to do just that.