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Moms Call For Gun Control On Capitol Hill

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Members of the World Children's Choir sing in support of gun control measures.
Armando Trull
Members of the World Children's Choir sing in support of gun control measures.

A group that represents hundreds of thousands of mothers nationwide is on Capitol Hill today along with survivors of gun violence. It's part of a Valentine's Day pitch for gun control legislation.

Members of the World Children's Choir from Falls Church, Va., serenaded Congress, asking them to pass what they describe as common sense gun laws. They were joined by members of Congress, the former aide to Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, and at least 100 other D.C.-area moms.

LaShaun Martin is with the group Mocha Moms, who counted themselves among the supporters.

"As a mother of two beautiful daughters, we know that African American children are disproportionately affected by gun violence in our country," Martin says. "I stand personally with any organization  that wants to support reducing the killing of our children."

The even was organizated by the grass roots organization known as MomsRising. Representatives of that group say they are delivering a petition today with 150,000 signatures asking Congress for universal background checks on all gun purchases, a ban on assault weapons and high capacity magazines, and tougher federal penalties on gun trafficking.

Earlier this year, MomsRising collected 300,000 signatures on a petition urging Walmart to stop selling assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.

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