New Moms Demand Action - Waco chapter aims to reduce gun violence

WACO, Texas (KWTX) - So far this year, there have been 231 mass shootings in the U.S., according to the Gun Violence Archive. In this case a mass shooting is defined as an incident where four or more people are shot or killed.

For Waco residents Brooke Rosolino and Caroline Martin, who hail from Nashville, The Covenant School shooting in Tennessee hit too close to home.

”It was pretty traumatic to be in real time with a friend who was directly experiencing all of that terror of not knowing if their kid was okay,” Rosolino said.

The tragedy that killed six people on March 27 is the reason why they’re now in the early stages of forming a chapter of Moms Demand Action in Waco.

On Sunday they hosted the first planning meeting with other area moms at Slow Rise in Woodway. The small group met to discuss potential solutions to prevent school shootings and their experience with gun violence.

”We just need more counselors and more psychologists in the school,” one mom said.

The two founders are already looking at other groups for inspiration on what they can do with their chapter.

”After The Covenant School shooting there was a group called Voices for A Safer Tennessee,” Martin said. “They did this event in Nashville where thousands of people linked arms to stand for gun violence.”

They hope to see more people get involved and will eventually host larger events in the fall.

”It’s a group effort,” Martin said. “It’s not just Brooke, it’s not just me. We want it to be a Waco-led thing where we all play a part in keeping everyone’s kids safe.”

Rosolino and Martin plan on officially launching the Moms Demand Action - Waco chapter by the end of the summer.

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