SHARE

Stamford Gun Violence Vigil 'Creates Light Out Of Darkness'

STAMFORD, Conn. — Hours after Gov. Dannel Malloy announced he would ban the sale of guns to buyers on government watchlists, the ENOUGH Campaign held its third yearly vigil for victims of gun violence.

Wendy Skratt and a fellow member of the ENOUGH Campaign gather at a vigil for gun violence Thursday evening in Stamford.

Wendy Skratt and a fellow member of the ENOUGH Campaign gather at a vigil for gun violence Thursday evening in Stamford.

Photo Credit: Jay Polansky

Wendy Skratt was among the campaign members who gathered Thursday evening on the plaza in front of the Old Town Hall in Stamford, holding a candle in memory of those who had died due to gun violence.

“I always get a little down on the days of the vigil,” she said. “It’s heavy dealing with the pain that people who have lost loved ones to gun violence deal with every day.”

But she felt better after hearing Malloy’s announcement, which she said was “incredibly uplifting.”

Still, Skratt said it’s too easy for those on the fringe “to take lethal action.”

The nation has been riveted by gun violence in recent weeks after the deadly shootings at a Planned Parenthood office in Colorado Springs and at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, Calif.

This year, there has been one mass shooting per day in the nation, according to the group, which defines a mass shooting as four or more people shot in one incident. Since the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School nearly three years ago, where 20 first-graders and six educators were killed, 90,000 people have died due to gun violence, according to the campaign.

The Stamford vigil is one of more than 265 local vigils and events in 39 states around the nation organized by the Newtown Action Alliance, which is dedicated to reversing the escalating gun violence epidemic in this nation. The alliance held a vigil on Capitol Hill on Wednesday evening with survivors and families of victims of gun violence in a call for smarter, safer gun laws and broader cultural change.

It is these events that remember lives lost to gun violence and supporting survivors.

“We are collectively creating light out of darkness,” organizer Marni Amsellem said atop the stairs lined with white luminaries. “There is power just in coming together. Just look around you: I can see it from up here.”

to follow Daily Voice Stamford and receive free news updates.

SCROLL TO NEXT ARTICLE