One Million Moms for Gun Control Protesting Gun Show Near Newtown Massacre Site

The majority of Mothers of America made a promise after Newtown that we would not move on again from another mass shooting without action. We must join together to say that this is not acceptable: not in this community, and not now.

— Shannon Watts, founder of One Million Moms for Gun Control

The non-profit organization One Million Moms for Gun Control is urging organizers of the East Coast Fine Arms Show to cancel its event this weekend out of respect for the still grieving community of Newtown, Connecticut. The show is slated for Stamford, just 40 miles from the Newtown shooting site. Westchester Collectors, Inc. is putting on the show.

Shannon Watts, founder of One Million Moms for Gun Control, agrees with Stamford Mayor Michael Pavia that the timing of the show is too soon.

“The idea that life has already returned to normal for the community of Newtown less than one month after the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School is shocking. Newtown residents have not even had a full month to heal,” said Watts. “Allowing this show to go on without protest would be tantamount to saying, ‘It’s time to move on.’ The mothers of America made a promise after Newtown that we would not move on again from another mass shooting without action. We must join together to say that this is not acceptable: not in this community, and not now.”

Kara Baekey, of the Fairfield County, Connecticut, Chapter of One Million Moms for Gun Control said, “As a lifetime resident of Fairfield County, the same county as Newtown, I believe it is too soon for a gun show to be held so close to Sandy Hook. We are still under the microscope of the media, our children are still asking questions, and we are asking for time to grieve. Instead of hosting a gun show, we should be working to strengthen our state and federal gun laws. This is not the time to be celebrating and marketing guns in Connecticut.”

The 8th Annual East Coast Fine Arms Show will take place in Stamford, CT, at the Plaza Hotel located at 2701 Summer Street, presented by Westchester Collectors.

About One Million Moms for Gun Control:

One Million Moms for Gun Control, a nonprofit that supports common sense gun measures, was formed in the immediate aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, on December 14, which claimed 26 lives—20 of them children. Our goals: 1) Reinstate the ban on assault weapons and related magazines.
 2) Close gun-show loopholes that encourage private gun sales without background checks.
 3) Set boundaries on how much ammunition a person can purchase.
 4) Limit the scope of concealed weapons laws at the state level. For more information, visit onemillionmomsforguncontrol.org