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Everytown Awards New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy And Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver “Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Candidate” Distinction

June 3, 2021

NJ Has Taken Action On Gun Safety Under Governor Murphy, Including Expanding Background Checks, Implementing a Red Flag Law, and Taking Executive Action to Create Public Safety Standards for Gun Dealers

Today, Everytown for Gun Safety and its grassroots networks, Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, awarded New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver the Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Candidate distinction.

“Governor Murphy and Lieutenant Governor Oliver ran as strong gun sense champions, and since being elected they’ve governed like it,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. “Governor Murphy and Lieutenant Governor Oliver can count on the support of Moms Demand Action volunteers, who aren’t going to let anything stop them from electing gun sense champions up and down the ballot.”

“As we award these Gun Sense Candidate distinctions, we’re letting candidates know that if you have our backs, we’ll have yours,” said Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action. “The last few years have shown that gun safety is a winning issue, from flipping the U.S. House in 2018, protecting New Jersey’s gun sense majority in 2019, flipping the White House in 2020, and flipping the U.S. Senate in 2021. In election after election, in state after state, Moms Demand Action volunteers have moved heaven and earth to elect gun sense champions up and down the ballot.”

The Gun Sense Candidate distinction is a signal to Everytown and Moms Demand Action’s nearly six million supporters, volunteers, and voters across the country that a candidate stands up for gun violence prevention. The Gun Sense Candidate distinction is not an endorsement from Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund, or its volunteer networks Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action. Receiving the Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Candidate distinction is a prerequisite for being considered for endorsement.

The Gun Sense Candidate Distinction program began in 2018, when the program recognized over 3,000 candidates running for office. In 2020, the program again recognized more than 3,000 candidates, including candidates in 49 states and Washington, DC and for offices from President to State Legislature. Of the gun sense candidates who ran during the general election, nearly 60% won their races—resulting in a federal gun sense trifecta between the White House, the U.S. House, and the U.S. Senate.

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