From Suburbs To Inner Cities, 2nd Annual Sandy Hook Ride On Washington Set To Show Unity For Sensible Gun Violence Prevention

NEWTOWN, Conn., March 4, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Gun violence touches all ethnicities and socio-economic groups and the push for more sensible gun safety legislation has helped to unify communities that would appear to have little in common.  On March 8th at 8:00 am ET, Team 26, a group of cyclists, will embark on a 400 mile journey – the 2^nd Annual Sandy Hook Ride on Washington (SHROW) -- from Newtown, CT to show how diverse communities across the nation have one common goal:  make our streets safer and put an end to the gun-violence epidemic.

The four-day "rolling rally" will include events in Ridgefield, Ct, Greenwich, Ct., Harlem, NY, Doylestown, Pa., Baltimore, Md., College Park, Md., the Washington National Cathedral, Washington, DC and end at the steps of the U.S. Capitol Building.  A full ride itinerary can be found below.

Four Newtown, Ct. residents -- Monte Frank, Bill Muzzio, Chris Peck, and Armand Daccache – are members of the team that includes a former Junior World Championships National Team member, US National Team member, Canadian National Team member, Maccabiah World Games Silver Medalist, State and Regional Champions and Omar Samaha, whose sister Reema was killed in the Virginia Tech shootings

Specifically, the riders support common sense measures to help curb gun violence:

• Requiring all gun buyers pass criminal background checks.
• Instituting a ban of military-style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.
• Making gun trafficking a federal crime, including real penalties for "straw buyers"
• Strengthening gun ownership restrictions for people with severe mental illness.

"Last year, our 400-mile journey quickly showed us that Americans in small towns and big towns, rural and urban, all have been impacted by gun violence and want change to occur," said SHROW Team Leader Monte Frank.  "The tragedy at Sandy Hook spurred us to action but we ride for all victims of gun violence. We ride to remember them, and to push for stronger gun violence prevention laws to reduce the epidemic of gun violence that plagues our nation whether it is in a one-stoplight town or our nation's most populous city."

2^nd Annual Sandy Hook Ride on Washington Itinerary

March 8

• 8 am – Newtown Send-Off Rally
  • Location: Edmond Town Hall (45 Main Street, Newtown, CT)
  • Details:  Speakers include U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), U.S. Representative Elizabeth Esty (CT-5), Pastor Matthew Crebbin, Pastor Sam Saylor, a Hartford clergy member who lost his son to gun violence, TEAM 26 founder Monte Frank, Junior Newtown Action Alliance's Sarah Clements, and Sandy Hook Promise's Mark Barden. There will also be a special Ben's Bells presentation. U.S. Representative Jim Himes (CT-4) will be riding with the team from Newtown to Greenwich.
• 10:30 am – Ridgefield, Ct. Rally
  • Location:  Ridgefield Community Center at the Lounsbury House (316 Main Street, Ridgefield, Connecticut)
  • Details: U.S. Representative Jim Himes (CT-4) will host. Speakers include First Selectman Rudy Marconi and Monte Frank. 
• 12:30 pm – Greenwich, Ct. Rally
  • Location:  Greenwich Town Hall (101 Field Point Road, Greenwich, Connecticut)
  • Details: Jonathan Perloe, Greenwich Council Against Gun Violence will host. Speakers include Representative Jim Himes, Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen, Greenwich First Selectman Peter Tesei, Greenwich Selectman Drew Marzullo, Greenwich Selectman David Theis, Monte Frank of Team 26, Dawn Spearman, founder, You are Not Alone, Bridgeport, CT, Reverend Maxwell Grant, Senior Minister, Second Congregational Church, Greenwich, Ron Pinciaro, Executive Director, Connecticut Against Gun Violence, Rabbi Andrew R. Sklarz, MSW, Greenwich Reform Synagogue.
• 3:30 pm – Harlem, NY Rally
  • Location: National Action Network Headquarters (106 W. 145^th St., Harlem, New York)
  • Details: Yvette Heyliger, GVP Lead, Organizing for America (OFA) Harlem/Northern Manhattan Chapter will host. Speakers include Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, Manhattan City Council Member Ben Kallos, Manhattan City Council Member Yandis Rodriguez, Monte Frank of Team 26, Jackie Rowe Adams of Harlem Mothers SAVE, Reverend Vernon Williams of Perfect Peace Ministries Youth Outreach, Sarah Clements of Jr. Newtown Action Alliance, Erik Cliette of Harlem Hospital's "Guns Down/Life's Up", Beloved Hammond of NYC Mission Society's Harlem SNUG, Leah Gunn Barrett of New Yorkers Against Gun Violence and other community leaders, political leaders and musical performers.

March 9

• 11 am – Morristown, NJ Rally
  • Location: Town Hall (200 South Street, Morristown, New Jersey)
  • Details: Maura Sherlach, daughter of Mary Sherlach (school psychologist killed at Sandy Hook School), U.S. Representative Rush Holt, Morristown Mayor Timothy P. Dougherty, Essex County Freeholder Brendan Gill
•  4 pm – Doylestown, Pa. Rally
  • Location:  Central Bucks High School West (Bucks County School District) (375 W Court  St.,  Doylestown, Pennsylvania)
  • Details:  Mayor Ron Strouse; Monte Frank, Leader of Team 26; Shira Goodman, Executive Director of CeaseFirePA; and Christine Licata, PA Chapter Leader of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America

March 10

• 4:30 pm – Baltimore, Md. Press Conference
  • Location: City Hall (100 N Holliday St, Baltimore, Maryland)
  • Details:  Mayor Stephanie Rawlings Blake will host.

March 11

• 11:45 am – Washington National Cathedral
  • Location:  3101 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20016
  • Details:  Team 26 will view an art exhibit titled "Meditation on Mourning" sponsored by the Newtown Foundation.
• 1 pm – Connecticut Congressional Delegation Press Conference
  • Location:  West Front Lawn of the U.S. Capitol
  • Details:  Press conference with Senator Blumenthal, U.S. Senator Christopher Murphy (D-CT), Rep.  Esty, Rep. Himes, U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro (CT-3), U.S. Representative John Larson (CT-1), U.S. Representative Joe Courtney (CT-2), U.S. Representative Alan Lowenthal (CA-47), other members of Congress and the dean of the Washington National Cathedral.

SOURCE Sandy Hook Ride on Washington (SHROW)