a Monmouth University poll out this week finds National support for a ban on the sale of assault weapons dropped since last year those surveyed were divided on the issue 46 percent in support of and 49 percent opposed to those sales last year a majority of the public favored the ban 55 percent and in Teaneck today a rally dubbed grandparents against gun violence was led by former Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg with a group of residents from a senior living community who were speaking out against the tragic shootings involving young people Weinberg is calling on federal lawmakers from New Jersey to take a stand and use their power to pass more gun reforms she joins me now from the protest Senator clearly retirement not slowing you down what's the message you were hoping to get across today well after the events of the last couple of weeks where young people were shot because they made the mistake of bringing the wrong doorbell or they drove in the wrong driveway the proliferation of guns in our country has gotten completely out of hand we now have more children killed by guns than any other thing in the United States so I feel that not only do we have good doing an interview so you notice nobody's shy around here we get it we know you're popular yeah that not only do we have legislators who I know are on our side our U.S senators or our Congress people from New Jersey by and large but they need to speak up they need to be making as much noise as the NRA does as the pro-gun people do and when you can get a group of 80 and 90 year olds out here making signs willing to stand here willing to have their voices heard it's a message to our own people here in New Jersey we have children grandchildren nieces nephews we don't want them growing up in this kind of a country's room is not safe yeah I mean as someone who led a number of gun reform bills through the legislature has this reached a pitch that you did not expect absolutely not you know I know New Jersey is a blue State and I know the people I live among and and worked among are on the right side of this issue but I did not expect to see this kind of a pro not only the proliferation of guns but guns being owned by Angry scared people who because somebody Rings the wrong doorbell they come out shooting that's something that I never thought I was going to see in numbers here in the United States or it is not anything that I ever would have thought that I would say that more American children are killed by gun violence than any other reason in our country that is mind-boggling more than disease more than car accidents so we managed to get car seats we managed to get car belts it's now time that we registered guns we make sure that people are trained and that we ban the AR-15 and we have Universal background checks and I would like to hear Cory Booker and Bob Menendez and Josh gottheimer raising their voices on those issues at every time and chance they get I'm thinking Senator about that sweeping gun Bill package you helped get through before you left office did it go far enough or was there more you would have liked to have seen done before leaving this out I think we've done a pretty good job in New Jersey and I and I think the numbers of gun violence victims we have albeit still too many but still lesser than a lot of other places but this takes National work so let's get to it ladies and gentlemen in Washington and let's make this a priority and start using tactics to say look I'm not voting for that bill if you don't put this gun safety bill for it those are the kinds of things I'd like to hear from our Representatives retired former Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg thanks so much for your time thank you Brianna [Music]