Push for more gun control moves on

Opinions remain divided among Jacksonville residents

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – There's a new push for more gun control.

Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and her husband Mark Kelly have launched a political action committee, saying they want to "encourage elected officials to stand up for solutions to prevent gun violence."

On the second anniversary of the mass shooting in Arizona, Giffords, a victim of that shooting, decided to start the PAC called Americans for Responsible Solutions. It's designed to counter the influence of the gun lobby.

But despite the push, retailers nationwide say ammunition sales are surging. And in Jacksonville, it appears opinions are divided.

"I don't really think that gun control is the issue," said gun owner Gerald Rogers, who's against the push for more gun control. "You know, we have a humanity problem. Guns don't kill people, people kill people."

"It's what we need. We've needed it for a long time," said Rosel Pine, who's in favor of gun control. "There's no reason to have assault weapons."

The divide in public opinion comes after lawmakers introduced nearly a dozen bills to curb gun violence, on the heels of the president's promise to create a task force.

It's a move Rep. Corrine Brown, D-Fla., supports.

"No one is trying to take legitimate gun owners' guns, but I personally do not feel that we need to outgun the police department. You need to keep that in line. Why would you need machine guns when the police officers don't have them?"

Despite the efforts championed by public figures like CNN's Piers Morgan, adovocates of the Second Amendement are pushing back.

clip alex jones/radio talk show host/2nd amendment advocate

"It doesn't matter how many lemmings you get out there on the street begging for them to have their guns taken. We will not relinquish them. Do you understand?" radio talk show host Alex Jones said. "That's why you're going to fail, and the establishment knows, no matter how much propaganda, the republic will rise again when you attempt to take our guns."

In fact, there's already movement organizing online to hold a "Gun Appreciation Day" scheduled for Jan. 19, just two days before the president's second inaugural celebration.

No stranger to gun violence, Jordan Davis' father, Ron Davis, is fighting for the laws to be changed after his son was shot at a Southside gas station.

"People are so stubborn, don't want to change the gun laws," he said earlier this month.

He and other gun control supporters are backing the vice president's efforts to craft new recommendations.

"I think all of us know that Joe Biden is not a shrinking violet, particularly when it comes to crime and the gun problem in this country and the number of murders," New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said.

Biden is expected to sit down with the National Rifle Association in Washington D.C. this week before presenting his proposals to the president.