The anonymous Charlestown residents behind the Holiday display at the neighborhood’s Preservation Park are using the display of inflatable Christmas Characters to raise money for the victim’s of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Conn.
The residents behind the colorful display, who still want to remain anonymous, said all the money they have received to help fuel the gas powered generator that keeps the display inflated and the sale of T-shirts will go to the victims and their families in Newtown.
Donations can be made at the Charlestown Cooperative Bank and at Toni Ann’s Sub Shop in Charlestown. All donations will be accepted until January
The shooting and national call for stricter gun laws that were recently dismissed by the National Rifle Association (NRA) got mayor Thomas Menino’s blood boiling last week.
Menino, along with cofounder of the Mayor’s Against Illegal Gun Coalition New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, fired off a three-page letter to President Barack Obama urging stricter gun laws. 750 mayors nationwide signed the letter.
“It’s unfortunate that it’s taken such a heinous crime like the one in Newtown for our voices to be heard. The ache that is being felt by Newtown families is being felt every day by Boston families whose loved ones have fallen victim to gun violence,” said Menino. “Today’s announcement from the President is a step in the right direction, but we’ll continue to demand a plan, and immediate action, until our nation’s gun laws make sense. We look forward to working with Vice President Biden on a path forward. Enough is enough.”
The Mayor made several suggestions to the President as he moves to find ways to curb U.S. gun violence. Among the suggestions made by Menino and Bloomberg are requiring every gun buyer to pass a criminal background check, getting high capacity rifles and ammunition magazines off U.S. streets and to make gun trafficking a federal crime. The two mayors also added the government should prosecute prohibited purchasers who attempt to buy firearms, ammunition or high capacity magazines. A week after the Newtown shooting, the NRA made its much anticipated announcement on how to prevent another Sandy Hook shooting from happening. Their suggestion to put armed guards at schools across the nation was quickly dismissed by Menino and many in the country.