LEXINGTON, Ky. (FOX 56) – Kentucky mothers rallied at the state capitol Thursday right before the house chamber was set to vote on House Bill 153.

The bill mothers are protesting would make Kentucky a Second Amendment sanctuary, meaning federal gun laws may not be enforced in the state. Those in favor of the bill said governments are going too far in restricting a person’s constitutional right to own a gun.

The rally in the capitol’s rotunda Thursday was organized by a grassroots organization, Mom’s Demand Action, which is demanding gun sense laws in America.

The Mom’s Demand Action group featured the Soul Box Project which had data posted up in front of the rally saying 770 men, women, and children are shot and killed every year in Kentucky. Also, 63% of that number are suicides, and 31% are homicides.

Cathy Hobart, an organizer with Mom’s Demand Action, said, “It’s now the leading cause of death for children and teens. That’s how kids die, and teenagers die, is because somebody shoots them.”

Many mothers took the platform Thursday to talk about the memory of their children who died of gun violence.

One mother proposed that one gun sense law in Kentucky needs to get rid of assault rifles.

Karin Moten said, “Get rid of assault rifles. There’s no reason anyone in America should have assault rifles, we don’t need them. We don’t use them and if you need to use an assault rifle you go into the military, like I did.”

Karin Soltau, another participant, came to the rally after being targeted by a senseless act of gun violence over a year ago, in Oldham County.

“I was stopped on a country road,” Soltau said. “Somebody was stopped, and they were going around trying to kill people; he shot at me four times as I tried to get away.”

There were also survivors like Hollan Holm from the 1997 Paducah school shooting who showed up Thursday, and he talked about how the LGBTQ community also needed protection from guns.

“We have the 11th highest rate of gun violence in the country,” Holm said. “If only they will listen to us the people not the gun laws”

The rally ended with an emotional, special performance, followed by all the participants in red shirts marching up to the house chambers to see what the vote on House Bill 153 would be.

The House did not vote on HB 153 Thursday.