WEBSTER GROVES, Mo. — The start of summer and crime in St. Louis has kept anti-violence advocates on a steadfast mission.
The last few weekends have been inundated with shootings, some of which have turned deadly.
This past weekend was focused on crime prevention, Wear Orange weekend.
Since 2013, the national movement has raised awareness about the effects of gun violence.
People poured into Webster Groves Presbyterian Church on West Lockwood Avenue to join in on the Wear Orange March and Rally for Gun Violence Awareness and Prevention on Sunday.
"Remember back in May. It seemed like every day there was at least one teenager that had been shot if not killed," said Julie Burchett, an organizer.
The words and drawings displayed inside the church's hall created by young people with The Ethics Project were a cry for help.
"They are having to deal with this. They are having to watch out and be careful and not feel safe," Burchett added.
The Wear Orange movement has also been a voice for people who have died of gun violence by accident, such as children who have found unsecured guns, as well as those who have died by suicide, Burchett explained.
Colleen Tepen with Moms Demand Action brought her whole family to the event.
"Gun violence is a public health issue so that's what kind of brought me into the gun violence prevention movement," Tepen said.
As she looked through this exhibit, she hugged her daughter tightly.
"I don't think anyone should have to be afraid to send your child to school," Tepen said.
The nurse practitioner said those images were why she and her fellow advocates have worked to spread the word in and around Jefferson City to rally for "commonsense gun laws."
"After the Kansas City shooting, we did have I guess you could say a successful legislation session where there were no bad gun bills passed this past session. But there's still a lot of work to do," she said.
Many took to the sanctuary to hear from the ethics leaders and a clinical psychologist and wrapped themselves in orange to be in sync when they took to the streets to spread the word Sunday afternoon.
"Guns are an issue and we need to do something about it to make sure that we have good common sense gun laws. We don't want to take people's guns away, but we want everybody to be able to be safe and I think everybody can agree with that," Burchett added.
Webster Groves Presbyterian Church is asking people to donate to Women's Voices Raised For Social Justice Group to help purchase more gun locks to disperse across the area.