Reps. McBath and Newman Are Moms Demand Action Volunteers and Have Been Proven Gun Sense Champions In Public Office
NEW YORK – Today, Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund made its first endorsements of the 2022 elections for Congresswoman Lucy McBath for Congress in Georgia’s 7th Congressional District and Congresswoman Marie Newman in Illinois’s 6th Congressional District. Congresswoman McBath and Congresswoman Newman are both former Moms Demand Action volunteers and have been tireless champions for gun violence prevention during their time in Congress.
“The gun safety movement has grown into a national force because volunteers like Representatives Lucy McBath and Marie Newman are willing to do whatever it takes to keep their communities safe, including leading the fight on Capitol Hill,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. “Representatives McBath and Newman can count on the support of Everytown, just as we have counted on their unflinching leadership when it comes to advancing life-saving laws.”
“Representatives McBath and Newman started their gun safety advocacy as Moms Demand Action volunteers and in office have shown America what it means to lead on gun safety,” said Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action. “Over the past nine years, Moms Demand Action volunteers have become a force to be reckoned with. From school boards to statehouses to the halls of Congress, they’ve shown they’ll do whatever it takes to keep their families and communities safe from gun violence.”
Rep. McBath and Rep. Newman pushed gun violence prevention to the forefront, ensuring the House passed H.R. 8, which would require background checks on all gun sales, H.R. 1446, which would address the “Charleston Loophole,” and the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act to close the dating partner loophole. Rep. McBath, a former employee of Everytown, is also a survivor of gun violence herself, after her son, Jordan Davis, was shot and killed at a gas station in Jacksonville, Florida, in 2012 by a man who objected to the music he and his friends were playing in their car.
The endorsement means that in addition to financial support, Reps. McBath and Newman will have a grassroots army of Moms Demand Action volunteers supporting them, knocking on doors, making calls and talking with their friends, families and neighbors. Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action have over eight million supporters nationwide in the movement to end gun violence and save lives.
Since 2017, hundreds of Moms Demand Action volunteer leaders have run for elected office and dozens have won seats – from town council and school board to U.S. Congress. In 2020, forty-three Moms Demand Action volunteers ran for office and won their races, including Reps. McBath and Newman.
Last year, Everytown for Gun Safety Victory Fund launched “Demand a Seat,” a new program that trains volunteers and gun violence survivors to run for office and work on campaigns. The program will invest $3 million in educational training and mentorship opportunities for grassroots volunteers considering campaigns at the local, state, and federal levels. Since the launch of the program, more than 100 volunteers and gun violence survivors have participated in the Demand a Seat program. More information on Demand a Seat can be found here.
