Rep. Tim Ryan attempting to apply pressure to Sen. Mitch McConnell with road trip and rally

Posted: Aug 8, 2019 / 08:37 PM EDT / Updated: Aug 8, 2019 / 08:37 PM EDT

Tim Ryan hit the road Thursday morning leaving the Youngstown area and headed southwest to Louisville, Kentucky.

The entire trip is more than 400 miles from start to finish, and it takes the Ohio Congressman and Presidential candidate through several major cities across the state including Dayton; which was rocked by tragedy just a few days earlier.

The point of the trip was to gather support at stops along the way and bring it to a rally in Louisville Thursday evening.

Why Louisville? Ryan wants to bring his demands to the doorstep of U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

McConnell has been slow to bring two background check bills to the floor of the U.S. Senate drawing ire from Ryan and other gun safety advocates.

The bills have already passed the U.S. House of Representatives.

This all comes just days after two mass shootings in America and when awareness of attempts to progress or delay legislative actions are heightened.

At a stop on the Caravan for Change, which is what it is being called, Ryan and Moms Demand Action’s Ohio Chapter gathered support.

“Men, women, democrats, republicans, white, black, brown, gay, straight, we’re not letting this go because we want to feel safe in the United States of America. Period, end of story,” said Ryan.

Those in attendance included members of Students Demand Action and concerned citizens who are not part of any group.

After roughly 30 minutes, Ryan hit the road again with his compass pointing toward Dayton, Ohio, his next stop.

The Presidential candidate says he plans to return to the campaign trail tomorrow in Iowa, and when he does so gun safety will play a central role in his messaging moving forward.

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