CHARLOTTE, N.C. — With the death of 5-year-old Amani Barringer, at least four children have been hurt or killed by an unsecured gun since August. Community members in Charlotte say it’s time to have a serious talk about gun responsibility.
“We have got to make a value judgement for ourselves and for our community as to what we’re going to do about guns," said Lisa Crawford with Mothers of Murdered Offspring.
Crawford said she understands gun rights.
“I know everybody has the right to have one, I know all of that," Crawford said, "But it’s also a responsibility.”
Crawford says she was heartbroken after hearing of 5-year-old Amani Barringer dying after being shot in the neck on Wednesday.
“And there are so many others," Crawford said, "Where it was a gun, a gun, a gun, a gun, a gun. It’s almost always a gun.”
Crawford says her question is, how many instances are enough?
“We really need to decide, is that the way we’re going to live as a society,” Crawford asks.
It’s why Stephanie Harrison, the founder of Stop Killing Our Children, is holding a march to raise awareness on Saturday.
“If you care about whats happening in your city and you don’t like what's happening in your city, then stand up and make a sound,” Harrison said.
Harrison says her son was killed in 2015, and for her it’s personal.
“I’m trying to figure out ways to help these other families so they don’t have to go through the tragedy, everything that we went through," Harrison said.
Whether the shooting is accidental or in retaliation, Crawford says this community has got to demand better.
"It’s just the guns in our community that are costing us our young lives, our young talent," Crawford said.
The Stop Killing Our Children march will be held on Saturday, September 12, 2020 at 12PM, at the Food Lion on 931 N. Wendover Rd.