Everytown For Gun Safety Action Fund Endorses MJ Hegar For U.S. Senate in Texas

MJ Hegar Has Made Gun Safety a Priority; in the U.S. Senate She’ll Fight for Common-Sense Gun Safety Laws to Protect Texans

NEW YORK – Today, Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund endorsed Air Force veteran MJ Hegar for U.S. Senate in Texas, lauding her commitment to gun safety. Earlier this year, Hegar received the Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Candidate Distinction, a prerequisite for being considered for endorsement. 

Hegar is a survivor of gun violence who has the courage to lead on gun safety issues. She served in the U.S. Air Force and received a Purple Heart for her service in Afghanistan after her Medevac helicopter was shot down by the Taliban. Hegar’s strong gun violence prevention platform includes requiring background checks on all gun sales and closing the “boyfriend loophole.”

While Hegar has committed her life to protecting and serving the people of our country, incumbent U.S. Senator John Cornyn has consistently put his donors in the gun lobby ahead of the health and safety of Texans. Cornyn has shamefully stood in the way of common-sense gun laws even as his state has suffered several of the deadliest mass shootings in our nation’s history.

“MJ Hegar is a veteran, gun owner, and survivor of gun violence who has dedicated much of her life to keeping Americans safe, while Senator Cornyn is a reliable gun lobby ally who has failed to address gun violence in a state that has seen four of the 20 deadliest mass shootings in our nation’s history,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. “It’s clear Texans want action on gun safety, and in November we’ll prove that Texas is no longer a gun lobby stronghold.”

“As a mother, veteran, and gun owner, MJ Hegar knows the importance of keeping guns out of the wrong hands while respecting the rights of gun owners, ” said Molly Bursey, volunteer with the Texas chapter of Moms Demand Action. “She’ll be a fighter for Texas, unlike Senator Cornyn, a career politician who has put the special interests of the gun lobby ahead of Texans’ safety.” 

In February, Everytown announced “Gun Sense Majority: Texas” — an unprecedented financial and grassroots effort aimed at flipping the State House to a gun sense majority, defending recently elected Texas gun sense champions in the U.S. House, and flipping key congressional seats in the suburbs, particularly in key battlegrounds of Houston, and Dallas-Fort Worth. 

Polling released last month demonstrates the surging intensity of Americans’ support for common-sense gun safety measures during the coronavirus pandemic, with a significant majority of Americans viewing background checks on all gun sales and disarming domestic abusers “more important” now than before the pandemic began.  

Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund and Victory Fund plan to spend at least $60 million on the 2020 elections — double what they spent during the 2018 elections, and more than any gun safety opponent, including the NRA, reported spending on the 2016 elections.