Williamsport, Pa. — In the wake of recent gun violence, including the mass shootinsg at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Tx., and at a Tops grocery store in Buffalo, NY, grassroots activism is rising in many parts of the country—Williamsport included.

Williamsport Moms Demand Action is a chapter of the national group Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, a national organization pushing for improved gun policies in America.

The organization’s mission is to advocate for public safety measures that can protect people from gun violence, and to work within communities and with business leaders to encourage a culture of responsible gun ownership, according to its website.

As of May 28, the number of Moms Demand Action volunteers in Pennsylvania reached 11,276, a surge following the Uvalde shooting on Tuesday, May 24, according to the organization.

Local vigil planned for Tuesday evening 

The Williamsport chapter will hold an event this Tuesday, May 31, at 5 p.m. on the northwest corner of Third and Market Streets in Williamsport. The group gathers with the intention “to honor the lives lost in the recent tragedies in Uvalde, Buffalo, and other towns,” according to their Facebook page.

The organizers will provide postcards to write to Senator Pat Toomey and Senator Bob Casey. The event is expected to last approximately thirty minutes.

The group encourages participation in other regional gun reform events, including: a National Gun Violence Awareness Day event in Scranton led by a Moms Chapter in Lackawanna and Luzerne County; a March for Our Lives event in Bloomsburg on June 11 at 3:00 p.m.

There are over 300 marches planned for June 11.

Prior to last week’s shooting, so far this year, there have been at least 77 incidents of gunfire on school grounds, resulting in 14 deaths and 45 injuries nationally. 

“The Uvalde community will never be the same without the 19 children and two teachers that were taken from it on Tuesday,” said Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action. 

Article Source: NBC Right Now