Moms Demand Action hosted a Recess Rally and community gathering at Foley Square to honor the victims of gun violence and to call upon our lawmakers to take action and to remind members of Congress about the urgency of voting for gun safety this year.

Leaders of 145 companies wrote a letter to the Senate on Thursday, urging the legislative body to take action on gun safety.

The letter notes recent gun violence in Chicago, Newport News, Virginia, and other places, calling it a "public health crisis." But the leaders also say that gun violence is preventable, and lawmakers can step in to head off tragedies.

"That's why we we urge the Senate to stand with the American public and take action on gun safety by passing a bill to require background checks on all gun sales and a strong Red Flag law that would allow courts to issue life-saving extreme risk protection orders," they wrote in the letter.

Red flag laws, which are also known as extreme risk laws, allow family members or law enforcement to petition a court to prevent someone temporarily from obtaining firearms.

"These proposals are common-sense, bipartisan and widely supported by the American public. It is time for the Senate to take action," the letter concludes.

The signers of the letter include the CEOs of well-known companies Uber, Levi Strauss, Gap, Lyft and Beyond Meat.