Oak Creek Vigil Attenders Call For Gun Safety

A vigil Monday night for the victims of the 2012 Sikh temple shootings in Oak Creek also became a call for stronger gun laws.

The vigil began with the readings of the names of some of thousands of people killed by guns in the U.S. last year.

Then people who have lost relatives in some of the mass shootings in the U.S. in recent years came to the microphone. Carly Soto’s sister Victoria died in the Sandy Hook killings. Soto says the shootings link Connecticut to Wisconsin. “Tragic shootings like the ones we had in Wisconsin and in Newtown open the country’s eyes to the fact that we have a serious gun problem in America.”

Elvin Daniel, whose sister Zina died in last fall’s spa shooting in Brookfield said 33 Americans are killed by guns every day. “We will make sure they did not die in vain. We will make sure to pay tribute to them by making this country safer.”

And Keith Bailey of the group Milwaukee Matters urged would-be vigilantes not to add to gun violence: “Before you purchase a bullet to load into a handgun to go on a walk in the neighborhood, please: speak to one of the victims.”

Close to 1,000 people attended the candlelight vigil.