5,500 attend Connecticut gun control rally

5,500 attend Connecticut gun control rally

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Thousands of people have turned out at the Connecticut state capitol to call on lawmakers to toughen gun laws in light of the December elementary school shooting in Newtown that left 26 students and educators dead.

Capitol Police estimate that 5,500 people are participating in the rally organized by the group March for Change. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and state legislators are among them.

Malloy told the crowd that the shooting has forever changed the public debate over guns and “we will not rest” until laws such as universal background checks are passed.

Organizer Nancy Lefkowitz says people’s hearts are broken over the loss of 20 first-graders and six educators.

Jillian Soto, whose sister Victoria was among the teachers killed, predicts Connecticut will pass a comprehensive package of reforms.