Sen. Ed Markey speaks to demonstrators at the Boston rally. (Kevin Coleman/WBZ NewsRadio)
BOSTON (AP/WBZ NewsRadio) — Activists gathered on Boston City Hall Plaza Sunday afternoon to call for stricter gun control.
The rally was organized by the Massachusetts chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.
Sen. Edward Markey and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh spoke to demonstrators at the rally.
Sen. Ed Markey told reporters that if a background check bill was brought to the Senate floor for a vote, "it would pass."
"We should be in an emergency session right now. We should be voting right now on the Senate floor. I’m ready to go back. I think senators across the country would be ready to go back. But, [Sen.] Mitch McConnell and [President] Donald Trump do not want a vote that in any way irritates the National Rifle Association,” Markey said.
Activists describe shootings as a public health crisis.
Similar rallies were held around the country Saturday seeking to pressure Congress to tighten the nation's gun laws after the recent mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, Dayton, Ohio and Northern California.
Organizers are pressing Congress to pass legislation to require background checks on all gun sales and a "red flag" bill to make it easier to take guns from people who may be suicidal or violent to others.
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WBZ NewsRadio's Kevin Coleman (@KevinColemanWBZ) reports