“Enough is Enough” vigil held in Lexington to end gun violence

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – A candlelight vigil Thursday night in Lexington honored the victims of gun violence in Dayton, El Paso and other places across the country.

The event in front of the courthouse was organized by the group, “Moms Demand Action.”

Many who attended know the pain of suddenly losing a loved one to gun violence. Every time there’s a shooting, it opens an emotional wound.

“I’m Antonio Franklin’s mom. They messed with the wrong mom this time,” said Anita Franklin.  She’s a Lexington mother who lost her son in 2014 when he was home visiting from college.

She says he decided to go to the park and that’s when he got caught in the crossfire of a shootout involving a group of teens and became an innocent victim.

Franklin says through his death they were able to donate his organs and save four lives.

“I think with my mission I hope that I’m saving more lives and so it’s not about taking guns away it’s about safe storage, it’s about gun safety,” Franklin said.

She says this vigil is important because the community needs to know there’s an issue with guns and it’s also to be respectful to those who lost their lives to gun violence.

She hopes there will be a call to action and that more people want to get involved.

We spoke to two best friends at the event who are proud to support bringing people together, regardless of differences.

Rabbi H.D. Uriel Smith and Nadia Rasheed said, “This is a country of love and peace and diversity and I’m a Muslim and he’s a Jew and we’re the best diversity and the best friends and this is the real America. That is the real America.”

For everyone who attended the vigil, a real America, is a country without gun violence.