San Francisco

Activists Against Gun Violence March Across Golden Gate Bridge

Activists against gun violence, clad in orange, marched across the Golden Gate Bridge on Thursday with a message: "No more silence; end gun violence."

That was the chant on National Gun Violence Awareness Day from hundreds, including Clare Senchyna, of San Francisco, whose son was fatally shot by a stranger in December 2014.

"The why to me was the accessibility of guns," Senchyna said. "Guns are too accessible."

"California has some of the strongest laws in the country and yet still, here we are, yesterday UCLA," said Sara Smirin of Moms Demand Action.

Many reacted with sadness and sorrow to the shooting on the Southern California campus Wednesday. They crossed the bridge to find more supporters and talked about change.

"Guns don’t respect borders, so it's not one state," said Eileen Soffer of Rabbis Against Gun Violence. "It has to be across the country, and the most obvious first step is universal background checks."

Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is backing a sweeping gun control measure expected to be on the November ballot, was on hand.

"I think ammunition is an area where we can put down similar background checks as we do to guns to save lives," Newsom said.

But gun rights activists also had their say. They oppose the legislation, saying it impacts only law-abiding gun owners and not criminals who don't comply with laws.

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