Week after Highland Park July 4th parade massacre, activists head to DC to push assault weapons ban

A woman hangs up a ribbons at a vigil at Sunset Woods Park in Highland Park, Illinois, on Thursday, July 7, 2022. Over a thousand people gathered to listen to music and guest speakers and have a moment of silence for the seven victims of the mass shooting during the July 4th parade in Highland Park. (Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times)

WASHINGTON — A week after the Highland Park July 4th parade slaughter by a gunman using an assault weapon, the nation’s latest horrific mass shooting quickly mobilized local activists - with hundreds expected here this week to push for an assault weapons ban.

Meanwhile, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., will hold a July 20 hearing on the Highland Park massacre, with Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering among those to testify.