- December 24, 2024
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Flagler County Democratic Club President Sally Hirst organized the March for Our lives Rally on Saturday, June 11, at Wadsworth Park in Flagler Beach, to make a statement.
She believes that the Republican Party leadership is "turning the Second Amendment into something it was never intended to be. They are carrying weapons of war and they have the right to carry them? It is an extreme position and somebody has to question it."
When asked about how decisive an issue it is for the American population, Hirst responded, "It's really dividing people."
She noted that actor Matthew McConaughey's recent speech at the White House may have changed the "talking points." (Read more about his speech here.)
"We just need more gun owners speaking up for responsible gun ownership," Hirst said.
When asked to define "responsible gun ownership," she said, "Responsible gun ownership does not include owning an AR15."
She is an advocate for background checks and keeping guns locked up, she said, but "I honestly think that we need to start with a ban on assault weapons."
"The AR15 does so much damage, holds more ammunition and is so much more likely to kill," she added. " ... When there was a ban for 10 years, fatalities went way down, and when it was lifted, it went way up. So we know it works. It's not theory, we know it works. We know they will not do it this time, but I think that there is a bare minimum — background checks — also just banning the weapons of war."
(For the Washington Post's analysis on the effectiveness of the assault ban, click here.)
A lone protestor on the other side of the street demonstrated his position with a sign: "Ban Democrats, not guns.'"