Gun control advocates rallied outside of Republican Mitch McConnell’s downtown Louisville office to deliver a petition asking Kentucky’s senior senator to change his position on expanded background checks.
Progressive Change Campaign Committee and Moms Demand Action had over 30 members demonstrating outside McConnell's office before delivering 1,200 signatures urging Congress to support "sensible" gun reforms.
Last month, the Senate rejected the Manchin-Toomey bill, which supporters argued would keep firearms out of the hands of convicted felons and the mentally ill.
Gun rights activists say the bill would only restrict the ability of law-abiding citizens to obtain guns, however.
The petition to McConnell scolds lawmakers for doing "nothing to stop gun killings." It goes on to argue any guns reforms "must include background checks for gun purchases."
Moms Demand Action member Pam Gersh spoke at the rally. She says McConnell is out of touch for voting against the bipartisan compromise, but promises more pressure in the coming weeks.
"We’re a group that is enraged and engaged," she says. "We are going to continue putting pressure on our elected representative and they’re going to continue to hear our voices whenever we have the opportunity. And there are lot of groups working on this now."
