1 October survivor renews push for assault weapons ban as U.S. Supreme Court prepares to hear challenge

Nine years after the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, a Las Vegas woman who survived the 1 October massacre is once again using her voice to advocate for what she calls "gun sense" legislation.

For Marisa Marano, the memories of October 1, 2017 remain vivid.

"I have a saying: always different, forever stronger. And I think that continues to hold true nine years later," she said.

Marano was a new mother to a two-year-old daughter when she received a last-minute ticket to the Route 91 Harvest Festival. She attended the concert with her younger sister and a group of her sister's friends.

"What was supposed to be an amazing fun night for (me) and (my) little sister turned into a tragedy, and something that I will live with for the rest of my life," she said.

When gunfire erupted from the Mandalay Bay hotel, Marano says instinct took over.

"I remember someone in the crowd saying, 'Get down!' and we got down. I put my body over my sister and her friends because that's what big sisters do. That's my nature."

Everyone in her group survived, making it to safety on a night when so many others could not, and never will go home.

Since then, Marano has become an advocate for efforts aimed at reducing mass shooting casualties, particularly restrictions on assault-style weapons like the rifle used during the attack.

"It's not about taking away Second Amendment rights," she said. "It's banning a weapon that is meant for machine warfare."

The national assault weapons ban expired in 2004.

Today, roughly a dozen states and several major cities have their own assault weapons restrictions. Nevada is not among them.

Under current Nevada law, local governments cannot enact gun control ordinances that are more restrictive than state law. That means Las Vegas and Clark County cannot independently adopt assault weapons bans.

The issue will soon receive renewed scrutiny from the nation's highest court.

The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear appeals challenging assault weapons bans in the Chicago area and Connecticut. Oral arguments are set for Dec. 2, with a ruling expected by next summer.

"It's common sense, gun sense legislation," Marano said.

Marano now works with Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit organization that advocates for gun violence prevention measures.

She says connecting with other survivors has become part of her healing process.

"That is where I find my healing," she said. "I feel that I survived and I need to use my voice for those who can't, and those who won't ever be able to."

As the Supreme Court weighs the future of assault weapons bans so soon after the ninth remembrance of 1 October, Marano hopes the justices consider the experiences of survivors.

"And my message to them is, please, for the love of God, protect us!"

Although Nevada has never enacted an assault weapons ban, lawmakers have approved other firearm regulations in the years following the 1 October shooting.

Those measures include a ban on bump stocks and a red flag law that allows courts to temporarily remove firearms from individuals deemed a danger to themselves or others.