Fiona Phie, Executive Director of March For Our Lives Boston. (Chris Fama/WBZ NewsRadio)
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Gun control advocates from across the state brought their cause to Beacon Hill Monday, trying to build support for a bill that would give lawmakers access to gun data.
March For Our Lives Boston's Chief Strategist, Madeline Ranalli, said the bill—H.2045 and S.1388—is about substance, not sizzle. It would mean legislators could view purchase records and sale patterns for firearms.
"This bill isn't really the most flashy or exciting when it comes to gun violence prevention, [but] it presented us with a really exciting and unique opportunity," she said. "You'll probably say 'data' and 'numbers' so many times today, but something that I think we should all try to remember is that behind every statistic and every piece of data that this bill concerns, there are people who love them, and have dreams and aspirations."
Fiona Phie, Executive Director of March For Our Lives Boston, was moved to the point of tears when she revealed her motivation in the fight against guns.
"I found myself thinking back to when I was nine years old, and putting an expiration date on my life—it was 16," she said. "How could I not? Very normally, I would hear the gunshots. My home wasn't safe, my streets weren't safe, my school wasn't safe."
The 19-year-old said she's driven by a very real goal.
"We're here to disrupt a system, to build new infrastructure, new practices, and build a system that makes it possible to reach one's full potential," she said. "Not continue a system that has young people guessing when and how they're gonna die."
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WBZ NewsRadio's Chris Fama (@CFamaWBZ) reports