Supporters of tougher restrictions on guns and ammunitition protested outside the Washington offices of the National Rifle Association Monday afternoon.
The protest comes after a gunman killed 27 people, including 20 school children, in Newtown, Connecticut.
Estimates put the number of demonstrators around 100. There were no counter-protesters except for one man who reportedly yelled "Arm the Teacher" from a nearby window.
The NRA has not commented on Friday's shooting. The organization shut down its Facebook page and has not commented on its Twitter feed about the shooting. Despite requests from news organizations, the NRA has not done any interviews since news of Friday broke.
The NRA has 4 million members and its Facebook page reached 1.7 million 'Likes' before it went offline. It spends millions of dollars during each election cycle in support of pro-gun candidates.
While the majority of the candidates it supports are Republicans, lawmakers like Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) also have an 'A' rating from the NRA.
Manchin, a lifelong NRA member, said on Monday it's time to discuss gun policy and move toward action on gun regulation. He said he agrees with banning the sale of assault weapons and large clips of ammunition. Warner said it was also time to address the issue of gun accessibility.
Over the weekend, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) said she will introduce a bill on the first day of the new Congress (the same legislation will be introduced in the House of Representatives) to reinstate an assault weapons ban. An earlier ban expired in 2004.
"It will ban the sale, the transfer, the importation, and the possession. Not retroactively, but prospectively. It will ban the same for big clips, drums or strips of more than 10 bullets," said Feinstein.
Eyewitness News reached out to members of Kansas' congressional delegation to see if they would support new legislation in terms of gun control and mental health. We have yet to hear back from Sen. Jerry Moran, Rep. Tim Huelskamp or Rep. Mike Pompeo.
Senator Pat Roberts released the following statement:
“As a father and a grandfather of five grandchildren under the age of five, my heart breaks for these families. Right now, we need to mourn the loss of those killed and support their families. Law enforcement is working aggressively to determine what exactly led this obviously mentally ill person to commit such an act. Despite the death of the alleged murderer, I understand the Newtown Police and the FBI are thoroughly investigating this case as if it would go to court so that we may learn from this tragedy. Law enforcement must do their work so that the public is informed and we can determine appropriate and implementable solutions to prevent future acts of violence by disturbed individuals.”
President Barack Obama has said he supports new legislation but has been criticized for not making it a priority. He has called for meaningful action in the wake of Friday's shooting.
