Communist Web Wednesday 24th May 2000 9.30pm gmt Moms tell candidates: 'Enough!' By Tim Wheeler WASHINGTON - Protesters, many of them mothers holding portraits of their slain children, gathered here 750,000 strong on Mother's Day. They cheered as speakers called for ousting lawmakers tied to the National Rifle Association (NRA) who block gun control legislation. They also applauded a call to keep the NRA out of the White House. Donna Dees-Thomases, who helped initiate Million Mom March , said the purpose of the rally was enactment of "sensible gun control" laws such as licensing and regulation of handguns, gunlocks, and closing the loophole that exempts gun shows from background checks on handgun purchasers. "Our votes are our power and we will use that in force in the November elections," Dees-Thomases said. "We will know where each elected official and candidate stands ... and they will be held accountable." The Mall was packed on this sunny spring day. With the arrival of each new contingent, a cheer went up. "We're from Minnesota. Enough is enough!" chanted one crowd as it marched up the Mall. There was a sense of elation at the immense size and diversity of the crowd, Black, Latino, Asian, American Indian and white. For many, it was their first demonstration and there was a keen sense of the power of the people to stem gun violence, which claims 30,000 lives each year - including 12 children each day. Raffi, the popular children's entertainer, caught the mood when he led the crowd in singing "This Little Light of Mine." At one point he hushed the adults so the children could be heard. "All over Washington, I'm going to let it shine," they sang as the crowd swayed in unison. Adrienne Young, an African-American woman from Pittsburgh, held up a poster-sized portrait of her son, Javon Thompson. "That's my son," she told the World. "He was a scholarship student at Carnegie Mellon, an award-winning young artist. He was shot to death on Dec. 29 1994 during Christmas break, Dec. 20, 1994. He was 18." "The NRA is a total disgrace," she said. "They value money more than human life. How dare they victimize us! We need to stem the tide of guns coming into... http://www.billkath.demon.co.uk/cw/moms/moms.html --- from list [EMAIL PROTECTED] ---
