SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - It may look like a typical school bus from a distance, but the people traveling in it call it a "revolution on wheels."
"We were planning to visit cities where shootings have happened you can stop anywhere," said Manuel Oliver.
Manuel and Patricia Oliver know that all too well. Their son Joaquin was killed in the mass school shooting in Parkland, Florida in 2018.
"We live in a nation that has memorials as an answer to shootings," said Oliver.
The San Diego stop is happening on the same day the San Diego County Board of Supervisors failed to advance a study on gun violence that included recommendations for safe gun storage among other things.
The vote was deadlocked 2-2 along party lines.
” I learn a big lesson today and it’s about how important it is to vote locally, small," said Oliver.
Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer blasted the Republicans who voted against the recommendations.
"Today's action would have been another critical step in the right direction, our goal was to help make safe storage a reality by providing outreach and educational materials for gun owners and by expanding partnerships to get key safety tools like gun locks into the hands of responsible gun owners across our region," said Supervisor Lawson-Remer.
The vote happened after the board listened to the results of a year-long study on gun violence in San Diego. It found from 2017 to 2022 there were 1,310 gun deaths; 70% were suicides and 28 % were homicides. It also found that firearm-related homicide increased by 56%.
Opponents of the gun reform package say the county should focus on mental health and enforcement of existing laws.
"The rules are such that law-abiding citizens will abide by them, but the bad people won’t. You can make all the rules in the world, all the laws in the world and they’re still not going to abide by them," said John Kavanagh a member of the San Diego County Gun Owners.
But for the Olivers, it's about spreading awareness. They plan to visit 23 cities in 50 days in honor of their son's 23rd birthday.
"I like to see my son more as an activist than as a victim," said Oliver.
