Elmhurst moms launch group to tackle gun violence

ELMHURST – More than 100 people attended the first meeting of an Elmhurst group that has decided to take on the issue of gun violence.

Diane Lans-Kautz, an Elmhurst resident of 10 years, is the leader of Elmhurst's Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America group, which met March 21 for the first time.

The organization is a nonpartisan grassroots movement of nearly 4 million Americans who are focused on "common-sense solutions" to gun violence, Lans-Kautz said.

The national organization was founded by a mom, Shannon Watts, the day after the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. Moms Demand Action also acts as a support network for survivors of gun violence, Lans-Kautz said.

The organization supports the Second Amendment, she said.

"We believe that being a gun [owner] goes hand in hand with trying to advocate for common-sense laws to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people and also create a culture of responsible gun ownership," Lans-Kautz said.

Focuses for the organization include community education, gun safety and legislation related to the reduction of gun violence, she said.

Lans-Kautz said the issue of gun violence has disturbed her since the Sandy Hook shooting. She decided to take action after the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., and reached out to Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America the next day to begin an Elmhurst group.

"Moms Demand Action has grown exponentially – it kind of exploded – over the past couple weeks since Parkland," Lans-Kautz said. "This seems to be a tipping point."

There are about 33 groups in Illinois, up from 22 before Parkland, she said.

Lans-Kautz reached out to her friends and other concerned moms in starting the group. This is her first time doing real community organizing, although she has done advocacy work before.

"I think at times it's overwhelming, but I think it's exciting," she said. "I really, truly believe in what Moms Demand Action stands for and what they've done, even over the past five years."

The Elmhurst group has 405 members in its Facebook group, and about 120 people attended the first meeting, Lans-Kautz said.

"We expect even more at our second meeting. It's become a big issue in our community," she said. "Not only are parents concerned about their children at school, but just in everyday life, as we hear about more and more incidents revolving around gun violence."

Meeting details for the Elmhurst group are not publicized, but information is spreading mostly through word of mouth, Lans-Kautz said. As the group grows, its members are working to participate in campaigns, and more information may be released publicly at a later date, she said.

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Know more

Find Elmhurst's Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America group on Facebook at facebook.com/groups/momsdemand.elmhurst.