MURFREESBORO -- People in Rutherford County are taking action. They are speaking out against gun violence.

The issue is in the spotlight across the nation.
  
The pictures are both comforting and painful. Rebekah Majors-Manley gets emotional as she remember her sister, Lisa Gayle Miller Hicks.

"My sister was killed in a domestic violence relationship," says Rebekah Majors-Manley.

Majors-Manley has turned her grief into action. She's now fighting against gun violence, and joined several others in Murfreesboro to take a stand.

"I'm standing up to ask for universal background checks as a first step," says Majors-Manley.

The mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut has made gun rights a prominent issue.

FOX 17 News has been there for several pro-gun rallies.   Hundreds have shown up to support the second amendment.

"That is how we keep our freedoms in this county against what could be considered an overbearing government," says gun rights advocate Hannah Horseman.

Now a smaller group gathers in Murfreesboro.
  
David Colin is a veteran who says background checks can save lives.

"It's not an issue of whether or not you have a gun, but how to keep the guns from being used in a violent manner," says David Colin.

The group arrived at Congressman Scott DesJarlais' office. They dropped off letters about gun violence.
   
Majors-Manley says she too is a gun owner, but when she thinks of her sister, she believes universal background checks should be required.

"We can change a little to protect our children and other people in our society," says Majors-Manley.

The Murfreesboro group will continue their activism.
    
They held a candlelight vigil Friday night for victims of gun violence, and they're holding another one next month.

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