Leading gun control advocate Shannon Watts honored at rally in Camden County

Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action
Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action, leads a news conference with U.S. Senate Democrats and other gun control advocacy groups in Washington, D.C. Photo credit Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

COLLINGSWOOD, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — Camden County honored one of the world’s leading gun control advocates for her unwavering commitment to ending gun violence.

Shannon Watts created Moms Demand Action after the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. She has been fighting and winning battles against the NRA ever since.

“We have passed 500 good gun safety laws across the country. We stopped the NRA’s agenda every year for the last eight years 90% of the time in state houses,” Watts said.

This will be her final year as a full time volunteer, but she says the group is full of passionate people who will keep pushing ahead.

“We’re really moving the needle on this issue in this country. If you look at other activism movements, 10 years is really just a tip of the iceberg.”

She said recent deadly mass shootings are a heartbreaking reminder that the work is far from over. Watts commended lawmakers in New Jersey for passing gun safety bills.

“And these lifesaving laws that are being passed in the state are going to make a huge difference, not just for the people in New Jersey but for the people who live in bordering states.”

Denise Spaulding of Camden has been a Moms Demand Action volunteer for a few years now. She just recently lost a cousin who was gunned down at age 21, and she says this issue needs to be approached from all angles.

“It shouldn’t be about politics. It should be about gun sense.”

Camden County Commissioner Lou Cappelli says they are doing all they can to combat gun violence locally, and he announced the opening of an office within the county to focus more intensely on gun violence.

Featured Image Photo Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images