See the Bold Move Moms Are Making for Gun Control Today

Since 2013, there have been almost 300 school shootings in the United States. Because thoughts and prayers clearly haven’t been solving the problem, a very specific group has taken it upon themselves to demand action: Moms. After Sandy Hook, mom-of-five Shannon Watts founded Moms Demand Action For Gun Sense In America. Through protests, social media and the hard work of volunteers, the group has effectively created change, like stopping Starbucks from allowing firearms inside and banning guns in schools on a state level. Today, in like of the Parkland, FL, shooting, they’re sending a message on a wider scale, printing a two-page ad in The New York Times.

The ad features the names and phone numbers of members of Congress who’ve received money from the National Rifle Association (NRA), plus the dollar amount the NRA contributed. While this step takes major initiative by calling out elected officials in a very public way, it’s definitely not the first time Moms Demand Action has encouraged people to hold lawmakers accountable. It starts with voting.

“When you show up, when you get off the sidelines and you use your voices and vote, it makes a huge difference,” Watts told The Bump. On their site, Moms Demand Action includes steps and links to help people register to vote and even begin the process of running for office themselves. What’s more, the organization has created a Gun Sense Questionnaire for elected officials to get their stances on gun safety on record.

Watts makes it clear that you don’t need to have been personally affected by gun violence to get involved. In fact, she wasn’t.

“Our volunteers are either are stay-at-home moms or have careers and still figure out a way to carve another week’s work out of their lives,” she says. "It’s just astounding how committed and dedicated they are. Many of them, like me, have never been affected directly by gun violence; they just want to protect other people and make sure they’re not [either].”