Cities Join in Gun Violence Protest

Counter-protesters Kenya Stevens, left, of District Heights, Md., Steve Tidwell, of Arlington, Va., and a protester who asked not to be named, shout their support for gun rights across from a protest of gun control advocates next to Realco Gun Shop in District Heights, Md., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2007. The protest of gun control advocates was part of the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr.'s National Day of Protest. The gun store, located very near the border with Washington, is a large source of guns used in crimes in the nation's capital, according to District officials. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) (Jacquelyn Martin - AP)

DISTRICT HEIGHTS, Md. -- About 100 people rallied outside a gun shop Tuesday, joining protesters in more than a dozen cities nationwide to call for tougher gun laws.

The national day of protest, organized by the Rev. Jesse Jackson's nonprofit Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, was planned for at least 17 cities, and Jackson led a rally near a Chicago gun manufacturing plant, organizers said.

"Where is our conscience? Most people in this community didn't even know there was a gun manufacturer in their own backyard," Jackson said in a statement. "We have the right to live safe and secure no matter where we live in America."

The protesters in District Heights, just across the District of Columbia border, rallied outside Realco Guns.

Local officials said the shop provides a disproportionate number of guns later recovered in the nation's capital, where private handgun ownership has been strictly banned for more than 30 years.

A federal appeals court overturned the D.C. gun ban in March, but it remains in place while the mayor appeals to the Supreme Court. But despite the ban, guns are commonly found in criminals' hands _ a major theme of Tuesday's protest.

Shanda Smith, a D.C. resident whose 19-year-old son and 14-year-old daughter were killed in a shooting years ago, said gun shops should be more helpful in identifying people who sell guns to criminals.

"We know the guns are in D.C. You just need to tell us who bought them," she said.

Realco owner Greg del Real was inside the shop and would not talk to reporters.

In a written statement, he said Realco has provided "law abiding American citizens with knowledgeable assistance toward selecting and safely using firearms for self-defense and the shooting sports" for 35 years.

The store was working to keep guns out of the hands of criminals with strict background checks for buyers, he wrote.

District police recovered 2,656 firearms last year, and many of the guns had been used in crimes. Federal registration information showed that by far the largest number of traceable weapons _ 566 _ was sold in Maryland and Virginia.

Of the traced weapons, 76 came from Realco Guns. A distant second was another Maryland gun shop that sold 20 firearms. There was no indication the guns were sold illegally _ only that they were illegally in Washington.

D.C. police recorded 137 homicides committed with a firearm in 2006 _ 81 percent of that year's total homicides.

On the other side of the store, a smaller crowd of counter-protesters held signs and shouted slogans through a microphone. At times the two groups drowned each other out.

"I'm not in favor of gun control because it's only going to affect legal customers," said Mark Cathro, of Manassas, Va. He said Realco was being targeted because it's the closest gun store to the D.C. border.