An event in support of gun reform is being held June 4th at a church on Detroit’s east side. The “Silence the Violence” rally will include speeches by government officials and survivors of violence before transitioning to a march along Lafayette Street.
Ryan Bates is a steering committee member for End Gun Violence Michigan, one of the participating groups. He says they want to see laws that prohibit guns in government buildings, require safe gun storage at home, and universal background checks. “It's been six months since the Oxford shooting, and our legislators have done nothing to make us safer and to control the gun violence. So we're going to be calling on our legislators to act now, before more children die,” he says.
The “Silence the Violence” event is organized by Pastor Barry Randolph of the Church of the Messiah. Bates says Randolph started it 15 years ago after being tired of doing funerals for young people who died from gunshot wounds.