NEW YORK – Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, a part of Everytown, released the following statement in response to Senator Kamala Harris’s plan to prohibit the importation of all AR-15-style assault weapons by executive action, an expansion of her gun violence prevention plan unveiled last month.
“Senator Harris is making gun safety a central part of her campaign because she knows that voters are looking for leaders who will take bold action to save American lives,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. “Every day brings more proof that gun safety will be a defining issue of the 2020 campaign.”
“Prioritizing gun safety is not only the right thing for candidates to do — it’s also what voters want,” said Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. “2020 is already a different kind of election year. Candidates like Senator Harris know that Americans are too terrified and angry to allow lawmakers to ignore this crisis any longer.”
Although it is still early days, the 2020 presidential cycle has been notable for the number of candidates proudly embracing gun safety as an issue to run and win on. To name just a few: Senator Cory Booker unveiled a gun violence prevention plan addressing both gun suicide and gun homicide. Senator Kamala Harris announced her intention to take executive action if Congress fails to pass a background check bill in the first 100 days. Congressman Eric Swalwell has made gun safety a central issue in his campaign. Congressman Tim Ryan wore a “We Can End Gun Violence” t-shirt in his kickoff video. And Senator Elizabeth Warren has decried the influence of the NRA. Moms Demand Action volunteers are attending candidate forums to elevate the issue of gun safety around the country — and will continue to do so until the 2020 election.
