http://www.gazette.net/200019/montgomerycty/state/10464-1.html
by Manju Subramanya
Staff Writer
May 10, 2000
More than 150,000 mothers are expected to descend on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., to rally for safer gun laws at
Sunday's Million Mom March.
At the same time, a second march by a pro-gun rights group will be held Sunday near the Washington Monument.
The Million Mom rally was conceived by Donna Dees Thomases, a New Jersey mother horrified by television footage of the
shootings of young children at a Northridge, Calif., day camp in August.
Six hundred buses are expected to drop off participants near the National Mall. Similar rallies will take place in 60 cities
around the nation, Million Mom spokeswoman Judy Slotnik said.
The Washington rally will start at 14th Street after an interfaith service at 10 a.m. and conclude at Seventh Street near the
Capitol, she said.
Talk show host Rosie O'Donnell will emcee the event, whose rallying call is "sensible gun laws, safe kids."
Other activities will take place throughout the day, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the Mall. The details were being finalized Tuesday
and will be announced at a news conference today, Slotnik said.
The pro-gun rally -- the Armed Informed Mothers' March, sponsored by Second Amendment Sisters -- will begin at 9 a.m. on
the Washington Monument grounds. The group said its rally will promote its belief that guns are necessary for self-defense
and that parents bear responsibility for teaching their children gun safety.
Million Mom March organizers are urging people to register online instead of calling march headquarters in Washington,
which has been inundated by calls, said Jennifer Waldman in the march's media office.
Participants are advised to take Metro to the event.
-------- http://www.gazette.net/200019/kensington/news/10900-1.html
Residents prepare for marches
by Myra Mensh Patner
Staff Writer
May 10, 2000
There will plenty of Bethesda and Chevy Chase families down at the National Mall for Sunday's Million Mom March against
guns, according to Tierney Siegel of Chevy Chase, who has helped organize the Mother's Day event for Montgomery County.
"I expect a huge turnout for the whole of Bethesda and Chevy Chase, an amazing turnout," said Siegel, mother of two
children.
But not everyone in Bethesda and Chevy Chase agrees when it comes to guns, said Caroline Hollister of Martin's Additions,
who wrote a full- page article in the town's newsletter this month opposing gun control.
"We do not need more gun laws. We do not need more infringements on our ownership of guns...Protect your family," wrote
Hollister, who urged people to join in the countermarch being run on Sunday by the pro-gun group Second Amendment
Sisters.
Hazel Bradford of Bethesda said she will attend the Million Mom March, and has opened her home to 10 out-of-town guests
who are coming in for the march.
"My house will be full," said Bradford, mother of two children and a communications director for a labor management
association.
The march begins at 9 a.m. at 9th Street and the National Mall with an interfaith service set for 10 a.m. A noon program
featuring Rosie O'Donnell and other speakers will be next, followed by a march to the Capitol.
Only politicians who have been personally affected by gun violence will be able speak at the march, said Bethany Klein, a
march organizer who lives in Takoma Park.
"We did not want anyone to capitalize on the event who didn't believe in it," she said.
But there will also be Bethesda and Chevy Chase residents who oppose gun control and support a countermarch that will be
led simultaneously on Sunday by Second Amendment Sisters, which is based in Dallas, Hollister said.
"Why would mothers want to give up their role in their children's lives by marching to the government and asking it to pass
laws to do what the mothers should be doing in their own homes?" Hollister wrote in her rebuttal to the Million Mom March
in Martin's Additions newsletter.
Don Tice, chairman of the town council of Martin's Additions, said Hollister obtained space in the newsletter for her pro-gun
views after she complained that the town had included a flier in the newsletter advocating the anti-gun march earlier in the year.
Hollister said on Friday that she is a lover of American history and always thinks of relatives in her husband's family who
fought in the Revolutionary War and established the need for guns as protection.
"There are very good reasons for stopping the assault of gun control," Hollister said. "I think people need to be able to protect
their families."
Hollister, who learned as a child in summer camp to handle a gun, said she wanted to take part in the countermarch, but would
likely be in New Hampshire for a family event.
A Web site for Second Amendment Sisters (http://www.sas-aim.org) states the group has named its march AIMM, which
stands for Armed Informed Mother's March. That march will begin at 9 a.m. on the northwest corner of the Washington
Monument.
The Million Mom March (http://www.millionmommarch.com) was the brainchild of Donna Dees Thomases, a New Jersey
mother of two who was so appalled by the shootings at a California Jewish Community Center last summer that she decided
to lead a march on the Capitol pressing for gun control.
Thomases, who works part-time in Manhattan as a publicist for The Late Show with David Letterman, began e-mailing friends
and the idea took off instantly.
Soon there was a Washington office established on 17th Street and thousands of people all over the country pledging to take
part either in the national or at state capitals.
-----------
http://www.gazette.net/200019/montgomerycty/letters/10475-1.html
Million Mom March is a movement for sensible gun laws
May 10, 2000
Twenty years ago, a couple of moms whose lives were shattered by drunk driving went to the U.S. Capitol and announced the
formation of the Mothers Against Drunk Driving movement.
We saw how they moved the neglected national disgrace of drunk driving from the back page obituaries to the front-page
headlines. And, we saw how the power of moms, victims' families and concerned citizens joining forces could change the
world and save lives.
Two decades later, our nation is plagued by a mounting social crisis demanding strong and effective solutions. You only need
to read the morning newspaper or watch the nightly news to see the latest tragic account of a senseless and violent death
caused by gun violence.
Once again, "mom power" is paving the way for answers to the growing threat of gun violence.
On May 14 -- Mother's Day -- a Million Mom March will be held to call for sensible gun laws and their enforcement, and to
urge Congress to finally take real action to curb gun-related death and injury.
As we looked out onto the National Mall where tens of thousands of people will gather, I believe we could all envision the
rising tide of citizens who will take a stand and say "enough" to gun violence. The march has the potential to spark changes.
The goals of the march are reasonable and rational: require childproof safety locks on all handguns, license handgun owners
and register all handguns, reasonable "cooling off" periods and background checks before persons are permitted to purchase a
gun, and no-nonsense enforcement of existing gun laws.
Advocates of this safety agenda realize that these laws and their strict enforcement are just one big part of a complex answer to
a perplexing puzzle. We must also address root causes of someone's impulse to pull the trigger in the first place. Some say
teach every child mediation and conflict resolution skills. Others call for character education in each school. Others plead for
more funding for drug-alcohol addiction treatment programs. We surely need it all and more.
This year in Maryland -- with the passage of the gun safety lock gun law -- we saw what might have been the first card in the
NRA's house of cards pulled out from its foundation. It's about time.
On May 14, the world will be watching as the Million Mom March convenes in Washington. I hope that the citizens of
Montgomery County will join in this opportunity to demand political leadership on gun violence.
As with the courageous moms who stood up to the violent epidemic of drunk driving 20 years ago, the many moms who will
be taking a stand on May 14 deserve our support.
William A. Bronrott, Bethesda
The writer is a Democrat representing District 16 in the House of Delegates.
--------
and an AIMM rallier response!:
http://www.gazette.net/200019/montgomerycty/letters/10480-1.html
Million Moms overlooking the real issue
May 10, 2000
I have been reading letters sent out by supporters of the Million Mom March. I do not share their views.
I believe the majority of the Million Moms are well-meaning mothers who want only to do the best for their children. Further
gun control legislation will do nothing to protect our children.
Washington, D.C., has the strictest gun control laws in the nation. These laws did little to protect the children that were shot at
the National Zoo. The shooter did not legally acquire that firearm. Violent criminals don't care if there is sensible gun
legislation. More gun control will do nothing except make it more difficult for law-abiding citizens to protect themselves and
their families.
As a responsible mother, I have refused to fall prey to emotional propaganda. I have taken a pro-active stance in my children's
lives on this issue through education and responsible parenting.
The Million Moms overlook the real issue in this country regarding our children. Guns aren't the problem. The problem is,
we've neglected our children. Yes I said we. How many times have you witnessed a child in trouble and done nothing about it?
We're all guilty, including myself. Do you think it was any mystery to the community and to the teacher's that the 6-year-old
child who brought a gun to school and murdered his classmate lived in a crack house? Do you think it might have been
obvious that he was in trouble? The problems are right there in front of us and instead of standing up and taking notice of
them, we blame it on the guns.
I will be marching in D.C. on May 14. I will be marching in the Armed Informed Mother's March not the Million Mom
March. If there is anybody out there who feels that education and responsible parenting is the answer, not further legislation,
then I hope to see you there. More information on this march can be found at www.SAS-AIM.org or by calling
877-271-6216 (toll free).
Christy King, Mechanicsville
by Manju Subramanya
Staff Writer
May 10, 2000
More than 150,000 mothers are expected to descend on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., to rally for safer gun laws at
Sunday's Million Mom March.
At the same time, a second march by a pro-gun rights group will be held Sunday near the Washington Monument.
The Million Mom rally was conceived by Donna Dees Thomases, a New Jersey mother horrified by television footage of the
shootings of young children at a Northridge, Calif., day camp in August.
Six hundred buses are expected to drop off participants near the National Mall. Similar rallies will take place in 60 cities
around the nation, Million Mom spokeswoman Judy Slotnik said.
The Washington rally will start at 14th Street after an interfaith service at 10 a.m. and conclude at Seventh Street near the
Capitol, she said.
Talk show host Rosie O'Donnell will emcee the event, whose rallying call is "sensible gun laws, safe kids."
Other activities will take place throughout the day, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the Mall. The details were being finalized Tuesday
and will be announced at a news conference today, Slotnik said.
The pro-gun rally -- the Armed Informed Mothers' March, sponsored by Second Amendment Sisters -- will begin at 9 a.m. on
the Washington Monument grounds. The group said its rally will promote its belief that guns are necessary for self-defense
and that parents bear responsibility for teaching their children gun safety.
Million Mom March organizers are urging people to register online instead of calling march headquarters in Washington,
which has been inundated by calls, said Jennifer Waldman in the march's media office.
Participants are advised to take Metro to the event.
-------- http://www.gazette.net/200019/kensington/news/10900-1.html
Residents prepare for marches
by Myra Mensh Patner
Staff Writer
May 10, 2000
There will plenty of Bethesda and Chevy Chase families down at the National Mall for Sunday's Million Mom March against
guns, according to Tierney Siegel of Chevy Chase, who has helped organize the Mother's Day event for Montgomery County.
"I expect a huge turnout for the whole of Bethesda and Chevy Chase, an amazing turnout," said Siegel, mother of two
children.
But not everyone in Bethesda and Chevy Chase agrees when it comes to guns, said Caroline Hollister of Martin's Additions,
who wrote a full- page article in the town's newsletter this month opposing gun control.
"We do not need more gun laws. We do not need more infringements on our ownership of guns...Protect your family," wrote
Hollister, who urged people to join in the countermarch being run on Sunday by the pro-gun group Second Amendment
Sisters.
Hazel Bradford of Bethesda said she will attend the Million Mom March, and has opened her home to 10 out-of-town guests
who are coming in for the march.
"My house will be full," said Bradford, mother of two children and a communications director for a labor management
association.
The march begins at 9 a.m. at 9th Street and the National Mall with an interfaith service set for 10 a.m. A noon program
featuring Rosie O'Donnell and other speakers will be next, followed by a march to the Capitol.
Only politicians who have been personally affected by gun violence will be able speak at the march, said Bethany Klein, a
march organizer who lives in Takoma Park.
"We did not want anyone to capitalize on the event who didn't believe in it," she said.
But there will also be Bethesda and Chevy Chase residents who oppose gun control and support a countermarch that will be
led simultaneously on Sunday by Second Amendment Sisters, which is based in Dallas, Hollister said.
"Why would mothers want to give up their role in their children's lives by marching to the government and asking it to pass
laws to do what the mothers should be doing in their own homes?" Hollister wrote in her rebuttal to the Million Mom March
in Martin's Additions newsletter.
Don Tice, chairman of the town council of Martin's Additions, said Hollister obtained space in the newsletter for her pro-gun
views after she complained that the town had included a flier in the newsletter advocating the anti-gun march earlier in the year.
Hollister said on Friday that she is a lover of American history and always thinks of relatives in her husband's family who
fought in the Revolutionary War and established the need for guns as protection.
"There are very good reasons for stopping the assault of gun control," Hollister said. "I think people need to be able to protect
their families."
Hollister, who learned as a child in summer camp to handle a gun, said she wanted to take part in the countermarch, but would
likely be in New Hampshire for a family event.
A Web site for Second Amendment Sisters (http://www.sas-aim.org) states the group has named its march AIMM, which
stands for Armed Informed Mother's March. That march will begin at 9 a.m. on the northwest corner of the Washington
Monument.
The Million Mom March (http://www.millionmommarch.com) was the brainchild of Donna Dees Thomases, a New Jersey
mother of two who was so appalled by the shootings at a California Jewish Community Center last summer that she decided
to lead a march on the Capitol pressing for gun control.
Thomases, who works part-time in Manhattan as a publicist for The Late Show with David Letterman, began e-mailing friends
and the idea took off instantly.
Soon there was a Washington office established on 17th Street and thousands of people all over the country pledging to take
part either in the national or at state capitals.
-----------
http://www.gazette.net/200019/montgomerycty/letters/10475-1.html
Million Mom March is a movement for sensible gun laws
May 10, 2000
Twenty years ago, a couple of moms whose lives were shattered by drunk driving went to the U.S. Capitol and announced the
formation of the Mothers Against Drunk Driving movement.
We saw how they moved the neglected national disgrace of drunk driving from the back page obituaries to the front-page
headlines. And, we saw how the power of moms, victims' families and concerned citizens joining forces could change the
world and save lives.
Two decades later, our nation is plagued by a mounting social crisis demanding strong and effective solutions. You only need
to read the morning newspaper or watch the nightly news to see the latest tragic account of a senseless and violent death
caused by gun violence.
Once again, "mom power" is paving the way for answers to the growing threat of gun violence.
On May 14 -- Mother's Day -- a Million Mom March will be held to call for sensible gun laws and their enforcement, and to
urge Congress to finally take real action to curb gun-related death and injury.
As we looked out onto the National Mall where tens of thousands of people will gather, I believe we could all envision the
rising tide of citizens who will take a stand and say "enough" to gun violence. The march has the potential to spark changes.
The goals of the march are reasonable and rational: require childproof safety locks on all handguns, license handgun owners
and register all handguns, reasonable "cooling off" periods and background checks before persons are permitted to purchase a
gun, and no-nonsense enforcement of existing gun laws.
Advocates of this safety agenda realize that these laws and their strict enforcement are just one big part of a complex answer to
a perplexing puzzle. We must also address root causes of someone's impulse to pull the trigger in the first place. Some say
teach every child mediation and conflict resolution skills. Others call for character education in each school. Others plead for
more funding for drug-alcohol addiction treatment programs. We surely need it all and more.
This year in Maryland -- with the passage of the gun safety lock gun law -- we saw what might have been the first card in the
NRA's house of cards pulled out from its foundation. It's about time.
On May 14, the world will be watching as the Million Mom March convenes in Washington. I hope that the citizens of
Montgomery County will join in this opportunity to demand political leadership on gun violence.
As with the courageous moms who stood up to the violent epidemic of drunk driving 20 years ago, the many moms who will
be taking a stand on May 14 deserve our support.
William A. Bronrott, Bethesda
The writer is a Democrat representing District 16 in the House of Delegates.
--------
and an AIMM rallier response!:
http://www.gazette.net/200019/montgomerycty/letters/10480-1.html
Million Moms overlooking the real issue
May 10, 2000
I have been reading letters sent out by supporters of the Million Mom March. I do not share their views.
I believe the majority of the Million Moms are well-meaning mothers who want only to do the best for their children. Further
gun control legislation will do nothing to protect our children.
Washington, D.C., has the strictest gun control laws in the nation. These laws did little to protect the children that were shot at
the National Zoo. The shooter did not legally acquire that firearm. Violent criminals don't care if there is sensible gun
legislation. More gun control will do nothing except make it more difficult for law-abiding citizens to protect themselves and
their families.
As a responsible mother, I have refused to fall prey to emotional propaganda. I have taken a pro-active stance in my children's
lives on this issue through education and responsible parenting.
The Million Moms overlook the real issue in this country regarding our children. Guns aren't the problem. The problem is,
we've neglected our children. Yes I said we. How many times have you witnessed a child in trouble and done nothing about it?
We're all guilty, including myself. Do you think it was any mystery to the community and to the teacher's that the 6-year-old
child who brought a gun to school and murdered his classmate lived in a crack house? Do you think it might have been
obvious that he was in trouble? The problems are right there in front of us and instead of standing up and taking notice of
them, we blame it on the guns.
I will be marching in D.C. on May 14. I will be marching in the Armed Informed Mother's March not the Million Mom
March. If there is anybody out there who feels that education and responsible parenting is the answer, not further legislation,
then I hope to see you there. More information on this march can be found at www.SAS-AIM.org or by calling
877-271-6216 (toll free).
Christy King, Mechanicsville