American activists have held a demonstration in Washington, DC, to push for an end to an upward trend in gun violence.

People, including families of those who have fallen victim to gun violence, held the rally on Saturday at the Lincoln Memorial.

The demonstration was organized by Philadelphia-based organization, Mothers in Charge, with the assistance of some 20 activist groups.

The protesters chanted slogans against those who are profiting from the gun laws.

Father Michael Pfleger and the Rev. Jesse Jackson also marched with people in front of Chuck’s gun shop, in Riverdale.

Pfleger said the shop has the blood of Chicago children on its hands. He noted that many weapons seized in Chicago were purchased at Chuck’s.

According to the University of Chicago Crime Lab, the US averages 87 deaths each day due to gun violence with an average of 183 injured.

A non-profit website called Gun Violence Archive has recorded over 6,450 gun incidents in the country in 2015. According to the website, nearly 1,890 people have lost their lives to firearms so far this year.

Weak gun laws that allow for some criminals to possess firearms legally are contributing to the high rate of gun violence in the US, according to a study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Since December 2012 - when twenty children and six adults were fatally shot by a gunman at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut - President Barack Obama has pushed for gun law reforms, including expanded background checks and a ban on high-capacity magazines.

But, the powerful gun lobby and its supporters in Congress have blocked the proposed measures.

GJH/GJH