ORLANDO, Fla. – A growing group of supporters rallied on the steps of Orlando City Hall Thursday night, demanding a ban on assault-style weapons.
The rally was held by the group Ban Them, which was organized in the wake of the June 12 massacre at Pulse nightclub.
Forty-nine people were killed in the attack, and 53 others were wounded. One of them is still listed in critical condition.
"We are pro having handguns and shotguns. We just feel that the assault-style semi-automatic weapons have no place in our society, except for military and police," Ban Them founder Carlos Navarro said.
Orlando city commissioner Patty Sheehan joined the group, calling on lawmakers to reinstate the ban, which was repealed in 2004.
"They do not belong on our city streets. They do not belong in our nightclubs. They do not belong in elementary schools, or any other places where mass shootings have happened since the assault rifle ban has been lifted," Sheehan said. "You cannot bring that to my city."
Sheehan told News 6 she owns a gun. She said she used it to scare away a burglar at her home. She said she's against weapons that are used to kill many people at one time.
"I talked to some of these families that couldn't even have an open casket, because this guy shot their family members in the head after shooting them eight times," Sheehan said. "It's time to stop it. We can't have these weapons on our street anymore."
U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Fla., introduced a bill in the House of Representatives, which would reinstate the ban on assault-style weapons.
No action will be taken on the issue until at least September when the House reconvenes from its summer recess.
"It's to show the (National Rifle Association) that we are united and that we're not going to be taken lightly anymore," Navarro said.
News 6 asked the NRA what they thought about the rally.
"Anti-gun politicians are trying to exploit the terrorist attack for political gain instead of looking for solutions at the root of the problem," NRA spokeswoman Amy Hunter said in a statement.
Sheehan said she and Ban Them are ready to fight.
"I'm done with it. It's time to fight back to the gun industry and say, 'You're not allowed to have these weapons on our streets, and we're not going to allow it anymore,'" Sheehan said.