Vigil for Dayton, El Paso shooting victims planned outside Mitch McConnell's office

A group is planning a candlelight vigil outside Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's Louisville office on Tuesday night to remember victims of the El Paso and Dayton mass shootings and call for stronger gun control.

Kentucky March For Our Lives, the state chapter of the nationwide student-led movement to protest gun violence and to encourage gun control legislation, will gather at 8 p.m. outside the federal building, which holds McConnell's office, at 601 W. Broadway.

The vigil will be held outside McConnell's office "to make sure he knows that we know that he has the power to do something about this," said Sydney Cooper, the Kentucky state director for March For Our Lives.

Specifically, Cooper referred to Senate inaction on a bill that would expand background checks for firearm transfers. Though the bill was introduced by Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., in January, it hasn't been called for a vote in the Senate.

Read more:This is the gun control legislation McConnell won't allow senators to vote on

"We are from Kentucky," Cooper said. "Mitch McConnell is the most powerful person in Congress, and he has been bought by the NRA."

"We see the NRA as one of the key factors in why there have been so many mass shootings in the United States," she added.

McConnell's office and the National Rifle Association did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the Courier Journal.

Saturday afternoon, McConnell tweeted: "The entire nation is horrified by today's senseless violence in El Paso. (U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao's) and my prayers go out to the victims of this terrible violence, their families and friends, and the brave first responders who charged into harm’s way."

At Tuesday's vigil, attendees will be given candles, listen to speeches from community members and take moments of silence for the victims of gun violence in El Paso, Texas; Dayton, Ohio; and Chicago, she said.

Background:McConnell calls for prayers, Democrats, others want action after El Paso, Dayton shootings

Cooper, an 18-year-old who will attend Bellarmine University as a freshman in the fall, founded the Fort Thomas chapter of March For Our Lives in February 2019. Along with Fort Thomas, Bowling Green and Bellarmine also have March for Our Lives chapters in Kentucky.

Cooper is not alone in requesting that McConnell take action. U.S. Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and John Yarmuth were among several politicians and high-profile figures to express frustration with the Kentucky senator over the weekend.

Cooper said Kentucky March For Our Lives is still organizing speakers for the event and she hopes "at least" 100 people will attend.

"It’s really sad when you have to realize that a mass shooting can occur anywhere at any time, and you are completely powerless over it," she said.

Contact Ben Tobin at bjtobin@gannett.com and 502-582-4181 or follow on Twitter @TobinBen. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: subscribe.courier-journal.com.