The city of Pittsburgh finalized a five-year contract with the Pittsburgh Joint Collective Bargaining Committee. It grants raises and other benefits for hundreds of workers in the Public Works Department.

On most days, the Pittsburgh City-County Building is a firearm-free zone, but on Monday, anyone on Grant Street would have seen a structure surrounded by hundreds of gun advocates.

Many of the advocates were armed with handguns and rifles, and the occasional musket, as they rallied against Mayor Bill Peduto and a package of gun control legislation introduced by Pittsburgh City Council last month.

Pittsburgh city councilmembers, joined by Gov. Tom Wolf and state legislators, announced a package of gun control legislation Friday. 

The move comes in the aftermath of the attack on the Tree of Life synagogue in October which left 11 dead and seven injured, while the official announcement was held on the sixth anniversary of the Sandy Hook shooting. Councilman Corey O’Connor (District 4), whose district includes the synagogue, said the tragedy was a call to action to not accept gun violence as the norm. 

Hunger and housing advocates from around the city gathered in Pittsburgh City Council chambers to plead with council members to restore or increase funding to their respective organizations.