Rally in aftermath of Apalachee High School tragedy

People from around Northeast Georgia, including teachers, church leaders and members of the law enforcement community, are coming together Sunday, October 6, in a rally in support of the families and faculty at Apalachee High School.

“This is a tragedy that touches all of us,” Barbara Burt, who is helping to organize the rally, said.  “These are our neighbors… in many cases, our friends or friends of friends who are suffering through a traumatic event.  We need to show them we are there with them.”

Organizers noted that the majority of Americans support some regulation of gun sales with four out of five Americans calling for background checks as part of that process. Records indicate that there have been more than 350 mass shootings, defined as shootings in which four or more people are killed, this year.

“We are coming together as a community to stand together in support of our neighbors but also in support of common-sense gun safety policies that protect our children, our schools, and our future,” Organizer Nakita Hemingway said.  She noted that there are several measures pending in Congress to provide greater protections.

Organizers say they have lost patience with lawmakers in Congress refusing to institute regulations on gun use and ownership that would make schools and communities safer. Red flag laws, safe storage laws, background checks, and a ban on war-grade automatic weapons would help bring America in line with other countries that don’t experience our level of gun violence. That is why organizers decided to hold the rally at Congressman Mike Collins’s offices. They believe that sensible gun legislation is the missing piece in the puzzle of gun violence. They also deplore Collins’s use of images and words that glorify the threatening use of guns. 

The rally is being organized by a coalition of individuals and local groups, including Moms Demand Action and Indivisible Georgia District 10 (IGD10).  It will start at 5:00 P.M. and will be held in the Courthouse Park across from the congressman’s offices in Monroe. All members of the community are invited to attend. There will be a number of speakers.