Group holds gun control march and rally in NYC

Jackie Rowe Adams, founder of Harlem Mothers SAVE (Stop Another Violent End), has buried two children because of gun violence.

"We can't bring our kids back, but we can certainly continue to do prevention, to do education and to do what we can to end the violence," she boomed at the rally.

Johnnymae Robinson lost her son in 1999, and marched in the Mother's Day rally in Washington in 2000 that was dubbed the "Million Mom March." She thought the strength of that effort would produce a bigger effect, she said, and hoped the momentum building now will produce some change.

Several members of the City Council, state Assembly and Senate joined the rally. Among them was Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, who has long called for stricter gun laws. He called the event a manifestation of the growing momentum for change. The commissioner said tighter laws on assault weapons are a start, but also added that handguns are used in most of the crimes within the city — most of them brought into New York illegally.

"We need a national policy to address that," he said.

Bennett Windheim of Manhattan brought his wife and son.

"This is a signal in support of what the president wants to do and sends a signal to legislators across the country that there's support for the president's initiatives."