Monitor staffLinda Tardif lighted a candle yesterday in memory of her daughter Valerie. On Nov. 21, 1998, Valerie walked to a gun shop, bought a gun and even got a free box of bullets with her purchase. Some 15 minutes later, she took her own life.
"If she"d had time to think about what she was doing, I think it would have stopped her," said Tardif, who believes stricter gun laws could have prevented the tragedy. "Her family and friends would have rallied around her."
Tardif and about 25 people spent Mothers Day at the State House yesterday, celebrating the second annual "Million Mom March." Toting pink balloons, activists and state legislators argued that New Hampshire should adopt more stringent gun-control laws to protect the safety of its citizens, particularly children.
"Since last year"s march, we have witnessed more school shootings, more gun violence, more children being shot by children and more gun suicides around the country," said Beverly Brewer, president of the state chapter of the Million Mom March, a national advocacy group with chapters in 46 states. "During this same year, our very own state legislators chose to vote down every single common-sense gun measure that came their way."
The brisk afternoon was marked by chilling ceremony. In tribute to the estimated 10 kids who die each day because of guns, 10 children tolled a golden bell. To memorialize the 136 children nationwide who have died since May 1, organizers unfurled a pink quilt emblazoned with 136 handprints.
In several musical interludes, Doug Clegg sang political songs lambasting a culture which celebrates violence, with such lyrics as "I"m a macho man/I carry guns in my truck."
Personal testimony gave the gun control debate a human face.
"It"s too late for my family," said Anne Lyczak, whose husband was killed by an 18-year old in a drive-by shooting. "But not for yours."
Lyczak urged parents to turn in their handguns to the state police and throw violent toys in the garbage. Parents should find out whether their children"s friends have guns at their houses, she said. If they are not stored safely, then their children should not play there.
Noah Braiterman, an 11-year old activist who has testified before the Concord City Council and the Legislature, said stricter laws would protect his friends and classmates from such tragedies as the Colombine school shootings.
The event was also marked by realism. Many speakers and attendees said the political climate did not favor gun control laws.
"The Legislature is focused on education funding," said state Sen. Sylvia Larsen, a Concord Democrat, in an interview before she addressed the crowd. "The gun owners" lobby is strong enough to out-voice the average person"s opinion - and they have so far succeeded in silencing the debate."
For example, the Legislature resoundingly defeated the "Consumer Safety Firearms Protection Act" this spring. The bill included: restrictions on the sale of gun and assault weapons, laboratory safety testing for guns and increased prison sentences for felonies involving guns.
Looking ahead, speakers urged the audience to oppose a bill which the Senate recently passed and will now be considered in the House of Representatives. The bill would change the renewal period for concealed weapons permits from four years to 10 years. State Sen. Burt Cohen, a Democrat from New Castle, said the bill would hinder local police departments from effectively monitoring people with concealed weapons.
The long-term goals of the Million Mom March include: national licensing of firearms owners; national registration of handguns; and limits on the number of guns an individual can purchase in a month.
The group also seeks to close a loophole in the law which allows dealers at gun shows to sell firearms without conducting background checks, as store owners do.
"We are a feeder state for criminals who are looking to purchase guns," said Laurie Warnock, vice president of the local Million Moms group. "This is a great place to go shopping."
No voices of opposition showed up at the Million Mom March. But on a mosquito-infested athletic field on Hazen Drive, the Second Amendment Sisters held a counter-rally.
The crowd of about 20 people included former Libertarian gubernatorial candidate John Babiarz and Doug Krick, founder of the "Pink Pistols," a Boston-based group of gay, lesbian and bisexual activists who oppose gun-control legislation.
Sisters leader Evelyn Logan said she has used her gun to scare away a man who was stalking her daughter, and two men in a pickup truck who harassed her. A mother of two, she said parents - not the government - should teach children gun safety.
A gun owner herself, Million Moms member Warnock said gun legislation that protects children does not infringe on the right to bear arms, as outlined in the Second Amendment.
"The founding fathers didn"t worry about outlet covers because there was no electricity; they didn"t worry about child safety seats because there were no cars," she said. "If the only guns we had to worry about were 5-foot-long front-loading rifles, I'd be less worried."
(Keith Meatto can be reached at 224-5301, ext. 322, or by e-mail at kmeatto@cmonitor.com.)
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