Family members of Cleveland gun violence victims demand gun violence reduction plan from Washington

CLEVELAND - After the tragedy in Newtown left 20 elementary school children and six adults dead, Cleveland gun violence survivors and victim's families teamed up with others to demand that Washington find a plan to reduce gun violence.

Mayors Against Illegal Guns Co-Chair and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg released personal videos demanding political leaders take immediate action to end gun violence.  

Several Clevelanders are among the 34 voices featured in videos demanding political leaders in Washington do something to end the gun violence that kills 34 Americans each day.

"I don't use the word 'closure' because there isn't such a thing. When your child is murdered, that's forever," explained Judy Martin, whose son Christopher was killed in East Cleveland in 1994 during an attempted carjacking. "When are we gonna stop it? Why can't we fight against this? If you wait until your child is killed, you can't change it."

The videos tell the stories of 34 Americans whose lives have been forever changed – whether in mass shootings in Aurora, Oak Creek, Tucson and Virginia Tech, or in the gun violence that kills dozens daily. 

Urban and suburban voices across the country, young and old, of different races and religious backgrounds, share their stories. While every story is different, every survivor is united in their belief that something must be done to prevent more tragedies like the one in Newtown and like their own in the future.  

The videos will be delivered to members of the 113th U.S. Congress upon the start of the new session in January 2013 to prompt leaders in Washington to pass legislation to reduce gun violence.

Mayors Against Illegal Guns along with survivors and family members of victims of gun violence launched the Demand A Plan campaign last summer in response to the mass shooting in Aurora. More than 300,000 Americans have signed the petition on www.DemandAPlan.org to demand that lawmakers take action to reduce gun violence.