Lying down for gun control

Women stage Bethesda protest to raise awareness for stricter gun laws

The Mother’s Day demonstration was organized by Bethesda residents Jill Lucas and Loretta Sevier to call for stronger gun regulations, sparked by the Virginia Tech incident and past school shootings at Columbine and at an Amish school in Pennsylvania.

‘‘The point of the protest was a very simple message: It’s just too easy to get handguns in America,” Lucas said.

She and Sevier modeled the protest on a similar one organized by Abigail Spangler, Sevier’s colleague at the Potomac School in McLean, Va.

‘‘She was just outraged, as many of us were at the [Virginia Tech shooting],” Sevier said. ‘‘She had a protest in Virginia and we thought we should have a similar protest in Bethesda, where we live.”

The women hope the demonstration will get people talking about strong gun regulations.

‘‘We want to open the dialogue,” Lucas said. ‘‘It seems that no one wants to talk about this. I’d like to see action by our legislators that really reflect the will of the people.”

Sevier insisted the demonstration was not an anti-gun rally and that it included people of all political stripes. However, she said she personally would like to see new laws requiring background checks for people who want to buy handguns and a ban on semi-automatic weapons.

‘‘We are not anti-gun,” she said. ‘‘We just want there to be reasonable regulations on who can have a gun in this country.”

In Maryland, laws restrict the sale of semiautomatic assault weapons and rapid-fire ammunition magazines that hold more than 20 rounds. People who want to buy handguns must also go through a federal and state criminal background check. But others states have looser regulations.

The demonstration could have a ripple effect. After Sunday’s protest, one participant said she would try to organize another one in Falls Church, Va., while the sister of another demonstrator said she would plan one near Philadelphia.

In Bethesda, multiple generations participated in Sunday’s protest. Mothers brought their children and even some grandmothers were there, Lucas said. A Virginia Tech student and her mother were also in attendance.

Lucas said there was a special significance to holding the protest on Mother’s Day.

‘‘We were sort of speaking out to all moms and we were also sympathizing with moms and parents who lost their children at Virginia Tech,” she said.

Most of the women participating in Sunday’s protest were first-time demonstrators, Lucas said, but for many, the Virginia Tech shooting was a tipping point that spurred them to action.

‘‘We were just 32 ordinary moms. We’re not experts on gun control,” Lucas said. ‘‘I just think we felt that it’s enough. There have been too many victims.”