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Virginia Shooting Revives Mother's Memories Of Daughter's Death In Nevada County

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Many at a rally at the state capitol hope the deaths of two journalists in Virginia will bring some change.

The mom who organized Friday's rally also lost a daughter to gun violence at work. Amanda Wilcox says the Virginia shooting puts her focus back on laws that go beyond background checks.

When she watched the video of Alison Parker gunned down on live TV, the 2001 murder of her own daughter played out in her mind as if it just happened.

"We relive it in our mind all the time about being shot and never thought about whether she screamed or not," she said.

Her 19-year-old daughter Laura was also shot and killed at work by a man she didn't even know who had no history of violence.

Wilcox believes the senseless murders could have been prevented with tougher gun laws.

"I think it's an access-to- weapons problem," she said.

At the state capitol on Friday, she joined fellow gun-control advocates from the Brady Campaign changing a familiar message.

"I think that the majority of our lawmakers are cowards and not willing to stand up to the NRA and the gun lobby and they need to take accountability," Mike Boll said.

There is already a law on the books that temporarily bans guns from anyone convicted of a misdemeanor like assault or battery.

Wilcox is pushing for a stricter bill that just passed in the state Senate, which triggers a 10-year ban on new misdemeanor offenses, like selling ammunition to someone under 21 or bringing ammunition to school.

Critics say it punishes responsible gun owners without addressing mental-health issues.

Wilcox says it's about guns in the wrong hands.

"We're all seeing what gun violence is like and so many of us think we won't be touched by it, and with that recording we all saw the horror," she said.

She is also behind another gun law that takes effect on Jan. 1 allowing family members and law enforcement to take guns away from a person that's considered to be a threat.

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