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More than 40 protesters gathered outside of a Montgomery County Friends of NRA event in Franconia last Thursday, less than two weeks after 19 children and two teachers were gunned down at an elementary school in Uvalde, TX, FOX29 reports.
The sold-out event was held June 2 at Franconia Heritage Restaurant, which is less than a mile away from Franconia Elementary school.
“My son is in 4th grade there, the same age as the children that were just killed in Texas. This is just a gross display of callousness, in my opinion. They shouldn’t be doing it," protest organizer Natalie Cimonetti said to Fox29.
According to the flyer, the event included gun raffles and dinner, as well as live and silent auctions. Tickets were sold at $50 per person, with two other options of $1,800 or $2,800 for 10 tickets, along with a choice from a list of firearms. Protestors outside opposed the event, citing the recent mass shooting at Robb Elementary School on May 24.
“The fact that people are paying literally thousands of dollars to this organization at a fundraiser, when it’s so soon after these kids were slaughtered and they’re in a place where they should have been safe — we’re failing them. It’s gross. It’s very sickening to see the callousness of continuing to have this,” Cimonetti said to WHYY.
Jim Maza, Marlborough Township resident, former partner in a Souderton law firm and former Montgomery County commissioner, said he belongs to gun clubs and has hunted for 40 years all over the world.
“Every hunt I’ve ever been on, and any gun club I belonged to, believes in safety because these are deadly weapons,” Maza said. “There should be strict rules and no nut should ever have a gun.”
Ashley Ehasz, the Democratic candidate running against Republican incumbent Brian Fitzpatrick, made an appearance at the protest and said she came to show them support.
“We are here to show that it’s time for change in this country,” Ehasz said to The Reporter. “We deserve leadership who take gun reform seriously and take protecting our communities seriously.”
Ehasz is a military veteran and said that it’s important that legislators recognize that guns are weapons of war and do not belong in communities.
Organizers of the Montgomery County Friends of NRA event denied requests for comments and questions, saying that “the committee, volunteers, and representatives are not permitted to comment on any local or national political issues,” according to WHYY.
