'Let's talk,' marchers tell NRA
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The Rev. Glenn Grayson, second from left, whose son Jeron Grayson was shot and killed while home from college in October, leads the final prayer at a demonstration against gun violence held across the street from the David L. Lawrence Convention Center during the National Rifle Association's national convention Saturday. Standing with him are Jeron's niece Aniyah Grayson, 5, Elisha Blackwell, 8, and the Rev. Lee Walls, second from right. -
Organized by CeaseFirePA and the Pittsburgh Interfaith Impact Network, a protest march against gun violence, which began at Freedom Corner in the Hill District, moves through Downtown en route to the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Downtown, on Saturday.
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About 150 advocates of tighter gun laws called upon the National Rifle Association, which is holding its convention here this weekend, to open a dialogue about ways to keep guns out of the hands of criminals, terrorists and the mentally ill.
"Let's Talk," was the theme of the protest, which included speeches at Freedom Corner in the Hill District followed by a march through Downtown and a demonstration across from the David L. Lawrence Convention Center where the NRA is meeting.
"Nobody is protesting against guns, nobody is saying the NRA doesn't have a right to exist," said Max Nacheman of CeaseFirePA, one of the groups participating in the event. "We're talking about finding a way to make it harder for criminals to get guns. It's a simple message."
In a letter sent to the NRA, published in local newspapers and printed on a mobile billboard, anti-violence groups called on the NRA to meet with them while in Pittsburgh to discuss the removal of what they consider flaws in the national instant criminal background check system and the plugging of loopholes in the law. The NRA did not respond, sparking Saturday's protest.
PG VIDEO: PROTESTORS AGAINST VIOLENCESupporting the effort was Lori Haas of Richmond, Va., whose daughter was among the 17 people wounded in the 2007 shooting rampage at Virginia Tech in which 32 people were killed.
"It was all because a prohibited [gun] buyer got his hands on a gun," said Ms. Haas, wearing a Virginia Tech jersey. "We can do better."
"It's not about the Second Amendment, it's about common sense," said Pittsburgh Police Chief Nate Harper. "We're the best country in the world, but we don't act like it when it comes to guns.
"How are we going to prevent guns from getting into the wrong hands? Let's talk."
First Published May 1, 2011 12:00 am
