On Dec. 13, nearly 30 people braved rainy and windy conditions to participate in a cause they feel very passionate about.

An “Orange Walk” took place outside Parkview Elementary in Columbia to honor all victims and survivors of gun violence.

“We asked people to wear orange because orange has become a symbol of the gun violence prevention movement,” said Cindy McMullan, a retired Columbia High School teacher who volunteers as a group leader for the Southern Illinois chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. “It represents the value of human life. Like hunters, road crews and school crossing guards, we wear orange to be seen and to keep ourselves and others safe.”

The Columbia walk commemorated the three-year mark of the tragic Sandy Hook school shooting and was one of more than 100 such events to take place across the country.

“At our event, we carried 31 candles – 26 for the lives taken at Sandy Hook and five for those taken at Northern Illinois University,” McMullan said.

The featured speaker in Columbia was Mary Kay Mace, whose only child, Ryanne, was shot and killed during the mass shooting at NIU in 2008.

“We were very honored to have Mary Kay share her daughter’s story and to speak about how gun violence affects the families, friends and communities of the victims,” McMullan said. “It was very moving.”

The “Wear Orange” campaign was launched this past June by a coalition of gun violence prevention advocates to mark the first annual National Gun Violence Awareness Day.

“Being a gun violence prevention advocate was not how I had planned on spending my time after teaching, but then the Sandy Hook shooting happened and my plans changed,” McMullan told the Republic-Times. “Moms Demand Action was started the day after that horrendous event and I joined a few days after that.  After learning more about the gun violence problem we have in this country and after meeting survivors like Mary Kay Mace, I can think of no better way to use my time.”

McMullan explained that Moms Demand Action supports the Second Amendment, but believes common-sense solutions can help decrease the escalating epidemic of gun violence that kills innocent children and loved ones every day. These include requiring background checks on all gun sales, keeping guns out of the hands of domestic abusers, raising awareness of the importance of responsible storage of guns, and convincing American businesses to stand up for safety and enact gun sense policies.

“We also fight against dangerous bills the gun lobby tries to push through at the state level,” she said. “We successfully blocked more than 60 such bills this year.”

For more information on this group, visit www.momsdemandaction.org and click “Join Us” or text “JOIN” to 644-33. A members meet-up will take place Wednesday, Jan. 20, at 6 p.m. inside Columbia City Hall.