Politics & Government
Gun Control Advocates Protest Stamford Gun Show
Diverse group of protesters deem Saturday's gun show "too soon" after Newtown shooting massacre.
The flyer advertised free parking and children under 12 free. A $1-off coupon was available online. The gun show, The East Coast Fine Arms Show, opened as scheduled in Stamford on Jan. 5, while other other gun shows scheduled in the wake of the Newtown shootings have been cancelled.
The website of this weekend's gun show sponsor, NorthEastGunShows.com, which includes a link to membership to the NRA, indicates a show scheduled for Jan. 12-13th in Waterbury is cancelled.
The East Coast Fine Arms Show at the Stamford Plaza Conference Center was promoted by the Westchester Collectors of Connecticut and protesters showed up in force.
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A theme that united protesters was the sentiment that the show should have been cancelled out of respect for the young shooting victims of Sandy Hook School in Newtown just three weeks ago.
The gun show protesters included men and women spanning a wide range of ages, including grade schoolers, self-described "grandmothers," and moms. The youngest protester, seven-year-old Abigail, paced the sidewalk with her handmade sign that read, "NRA Kills Our Kids."
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Among the protesters were representatives of Occupy NRA, the Fairfield County contingent of A Million Moms For Gun Control and representatives from CT Against Gun Violence.
A Million Moms For Gun Control's Fairfield County organizer Kara Baekey said, "With less than 12 hours to organize, it was encouraging to see the crowd ... We brought our sidewalk chalk to get our message out—'Moms Demand Action, 1MM4GC.org—as well as hand-made signs. The honks of supporters in passing cars made it more worthwhile."
According to the A Million Moms For Gun Control website, the group has established nearly 75 local chapters across the United States since December 14th, and "is not against guns, but against the proliferation of military-type weapons that have been allowed into society with too little oversight."
Representatives from CT Against Gun Violence members passed out postcards detailing a Feb. 14th March For Change at the State Capital in Hartford, the two-month anniversary of the Newtown shootings.
During the afternoon, some drivers slowed down to gesture with their middle finger. Others honked their horns in support of the protesters. The protesters disbanded around 4 p.m. The gun show ended at 5 p.m.
Editor's note: This article previously was published by Stamford Patch.
