National Gun Violence Awareness Day Rally Planned In Alexandria

ALEXANDRIA, VA — After the Uvalde, Texas school shooting that killed 19 children and two adults and other mass shootings, a Virginia group will hold a National Gun Violence Awareness Day rally Friday in Alexandria.

The rally will be held by the Virginia chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, a group that supports stricter gun laws, at 7 p.m. Friday in Market Square, 301 King Street. The annual rally begins Wear Orange Weekend to recognize those who have been impacted by gun violence in the U.S. and call for an end to gun violence. National Gun Violence Awareness Day falls on the first Friday of June every year.

Rep. Don Beyer (D-Alexandria) will be the keynote speaker at the rally. The event will also feature survivors of gun violence, nonprofit community partners, grassroots activists, students, and elected officials such as Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson, Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano and more.

According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been over 200 shootings with multiple people injured or killed so far in 2022, with the most recent being the Uvalde school shooting and Buffalo shooting that killed 10 people. Even before the most recent school shooting reignited the debate about how to address gun violence, Moms Demand Action has been continuing a push for stronger gun laws.

Brooke Glisson, a spokesperson for Moms Demand Action Alexandria, told Patch in an email the group is focused on federal legislation as well as protecting gun laws passed in Virginia in recent years. That Virginia legislation includes a "red flag" law, which is meant to prevent people showing signs of being a threat to themselves or others from buying or possessing a gun, and a limit on handgun purchases. The Virginia General Assembly also gave localities the authority to ban guns inside their facilities and parks, which many localities in Northern Virginia implemented. Legislation seeking to reverse gun control measures were defeated in the Democrat-controlled Virginia Senate.

On the local level, Virginia cities and counties can only pass measures when given authority by the state, per the Dillon Rule. Alexandria and Fairfax County were among the localities that banned guns in its buildings and parks when given authority by state legislation. Glisson noted the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, Fairfax County School Board and Alexandria City Council recently passed gun violence prevention proclamations, and the Alexandria School Board will vote on the same.

"Locally, officials have been vocally supportive of smart gun violence prevention strategies," Glisson told Patch in an email.

On the federal level, the group is calling on Congress to pass background checks on all gun sales, a federal "red flag" law, regulation of "assault" weapons, and confirm Steve Dettelbach as director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.