Moms Demand Action is a grassroots movement advocating for stronger gun laws. Gina Pelusi is a volunteer with the Pennsylvania Chapter. She lost her mother to gun violence ten years ago.

“It was a cold Thursday morning, and she answered a knock at the door in a manner that she did not know. When she opened the door, she just shot her. In broad daylight. And they rushed my mom to the hospital. They were not able to save her.”

Pelusi was shocked, angry, and heartbroken by the passing of her mother. Later, she decided to turn her pain into advocacy for stronger gun laws.

“I always knew that I wanted to do something with gun safety advocacy. I just didn't really know what and how. And it actually was after the election when Donald Trump was elected, the first time that I finally went and joined Moms Demand Action and went to a meeting. I had my first child and thinking about my mom, thinking about my son, eventually going off to school one day and all of those things. I was like, I need to find a way to use my voice and share my story and try and have this tragedy mean something.”

Moms Demand Action also advocates for updated background checks and responsible gun storage. The organization also meets with lawmakers and other organizations to advocate for gun safety.

“it's just it's so important. And I think secure storage shouldn't be something that is controversial. That shouldn't be a hard thing for us to talk about. I think most responsible gun owners that I know and then I've ever had a conversation with agree with that. So it's like sometimes I think we get to this place where everything feels so polarizing. This is not polarizing. This is just common sense. It is the gun owners responsibility to secure their firearm, period.”

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