Holly Sanger

“Moms Demand Action, our short name, was founded to promote gun safety and gun legislation. We support the 2nd Amendment, but we think you can believe in the 2nd Amendment but also make sure that there is sensible gun laws. We particularly support background checks and people being licensed. We were founded five years ago following the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary school. Now [we have] over four million members and each state has a group and within the state, locations have groups. In Iowa City, we have about 150 members and we’re really working to grow our organization. We have an event every June called “Wear Orange.” It’s our big event of the year and it’s to celebrate. There was a student in Chicago named Hadiya Pendleton who marched in Obama’s second inauguration. Two weeks later she was killed by gun violence in Chicago. Her family and friends started this event to celebrate her birthday, June 2, which is to wear orange. Orange is supposed to denote safety when you’re hunting. This year we’re going to be doing a walk out at Terry Trueblood. We also have a program called “Be Smart,” which is a way to keep kids safe if there are guns in the home. We’re here today to support these amazing students. This was unbelievable. I think the turnout was great. I think had it been 40 degrees, we would have had 1,000 people. I was talking to Teagan the other night and he said ‘Oh, what if the weather’s really bad?’ I said, ‘You know what? If two people show up in Alaska, 200,000 show up in Florida and 500 show up here, every one of those people who shows up matters. All our voices count. And together this is millions of people saying enough. When I joined MOMS, I did it because I felt like I had to. What I found when I joined our local group was a community. A wonderful community of people who I laugh with, who I cry with, who I do events with and because it’s in a group, we keep each other supported. What students have done over the last month has completely revitalized this movement.” -Holly Sanger, member of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America