Both sides of the firearms and self-defense debate will be represented in Mother’s Day events this year, with more of the emphasis on state capitals rather than Washington, DC. Of course, the change in occupants of the White House has much to do with the different emphasis on location.

Last year’s expensive extravaganza by the “Million” Mom March (MMM) was pumped up with some $4 million in anti-gun support, media personalities like talk show host Rosie O’Donnell, and the Clinton family. But despite professional staging and musicians, the public relations impact of the MMM event was significantly undercut by the emergence of the grassroots, bootstrap Second Amendment Sisters (SAS), who billed themselves as the Armed Informed Mothers.

Both groups were also represented in a few big city events as well on Mother’s Day 2000.

The “Million” Moms never lived up to their anticipated count , however, drawing well below even 90,000 at their main 2000 event. Since then, they have experienced a number of financial and other problems, and have made it clear that they were planning to demonstrate their support for more gun laws at state capitals. However, MMM supporters, mostly local women, still plan a march for Washington, DC.

The MMM march in DC will begin at noon on Madison Street and continue up Pennsylvania Avenue to Freedom Plaza. Area churches have been asked to ring bells 10 times in commemoration of the 10 children MMM says die each day from gun violence.

Meanwhile, the Second Amendment Sisters, which has chapters in about two-thirds of the states, has announced that they will be holding rallies in 18 states on Mother’s Day, May 13, 2001. Plans are for rallies in the following states: California, Connecticut, Colorado, Florida, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.

In California, they will actually be holding rallies in three different cities on that day. In Florida, they will be holding rallies in two different cities. In Colorado, they are planning a picnic while in Missouri they will be doing a “Card campaign.”

The Card campaign will involve many people who might otherwise not be able to attend a rally. The design and text for a pro-rights postcard may be downloaded from the SAS website and mailed to state lawmakers.

Five women on FreeRepublic.com, a conservative news forum on the Internet, started SAS in December 1999. Their first effort was the Armed Informed Mothers’ Rally and March last year, which drew approximately 5,000 people to the grounds of the Washington Monument and thousands more to rallies in cities all over the US. Since then, Second Amendment Sisters has welcomed a growing number of women and men from across the country, all dedicated, unpaid, volunteers who passionately believe in the basic human right of self-defense.

“It is crucial to let our state legislatures know that the right to self-defense is vitally important to women. We can no longer sit on the sidelines of this debate while we are put in harm’s way by dangerous notions masquerading as common sense,” stated Juli Bednarzyk, president and one of the founders of SAS.

SAS received the Grassroots Organization of the Year Award from the Second Amendment Foundation and Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, sponsors of the annual Gun Rights Policy Conferences.

Further information regarding the times and exact locations of the May 13 rallies is posted at the new SAS web address: www.2asisters.org, in the “rally” area.

The headquarters for Second Amendment Sisters is now 900 RR 620 South, Suite C101, Box 228, Austin, TX 78734.