Giammittorio and Karen Vaught, 52, who both belong to ‘Moms Demand Action’ prepare to canvass for Jennifer Wexton, a Democrat running for a seat in the House of Representatives, in Sterling, Virginia. — AFP photo
STERLING, United States: With a stack of pamphlets under her arm, Dawnee Giammittorio — who has been a gun control activist since her sister-in-law was shot dead — goes door-to-door in northern Virginia, hoping to help flip control of Congress back to the Democrats.
Giammittorio is canvassing in a state that is traditionally conservative but gradually turning to purple, and even blue, as urbanization brings a more diverse population, especially in the areas outside Washington.
“If we want the Congress to do something, we are going to have to change the people,” Giammittorio said in the runup to the Nov 6 midterm elections.
“We have ineffective gun laws.”
In this part of Virginia, gun issues are particularly sensitive, as America’s powerful gun rights lobby, the National Rifle Association, is based here.
Giammittorio belongs to Moms Demand Action, which gathers each weekend to campaign in pairs, meeting voters to discuss their work for candidates that support tougher gun controls.
The right to bear arms is enshrined in the Second Amendment of the US Constitution, but the issue of gun violence is a constant political football in America.
Mass shootings — sadly commonplace in the US — are often followed by calls for political action, which then fade into the background. And the cycle then repeats.
Every day in America, firearms kill more than 90 people. Two-thirds of those are suicides.
Like thousands of other moms, who wear red shirts for their cause, the 56-year-old Giammittorio is hoping for change at the ballot box.
