Million Mom March

Fight for Stricter Gun Control Laws

Kristin Goss observes in her book Disarmed: The Missing Movement for Gun Control in America that the Million Mom March was the first cause to emphasize women's concerns about gun violence in America; women, until then, remained the underrepresented population in the gun control debate. The women marching were primarily concerned with children's safety related to guns, and protesters built their rhetoric on the symbol of the child.

In one well-known instance of Dees-Thomases using this rhetoric to her benefit, she claimed that in the nine months it takes a woman to grow and deliver a baby, the government should be able to design and implement stricter gun control laws.

The organization classifies itself as grassroots and houses chapters across America. The mothers involved firmly support the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, members of which also work to establish stricter laws related to gun control. The Million Mom March Organization, in conjunction with the Brady Campaign, hosts a Website that educates readers about gun violence in the United States by sharing testimonies of those whose lives have been affected by gun violence. The Website also informs the public about current gun laws, organization chapters across the country, and ways to support the Million Mom March.

Dees-Thomases describes the Million Mom March as developing from a march into a nationwide movement. She claims that before the march, she considered herself a mom, but during the process of designing the march and watching it realize itself, Dees-Thomases started to consider herself an activist as well. Under her leadership, the Million Mom March continues to gain support and, in the process, turns thousands of other women into activists every year.