WASHINGTON — Today, after Donald Trump became the presumed Republican nominee for president, Everytown for Gun Safety, Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action released the following statements:
“When Donald Trump was in office, the NRA treated the White House like its clubhouse — and gun violence soared. As he runs for a second term, Trump is telling Americans to ‘get over’ school shootings and embracing right wing extremists, so it’s safe to assume the gun lobby will be in the driver’s seat once again if he’s elected,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. “Our grassroots army has defeated Donald Trump before, and with the Biden-Harris ticket running on the strongest gun safety record in American history, we’re fired up to do it again.”
“Donald Trump doesn’t care about our communities, our children, or our futures — and voters do not want a president who isn’t going to fight for them,” said Angela Ferrell-Zabala, executive director of Moms Demand Action. “When Trump loses in November, it will be the American people standing up yet again to make it clear that they want elected officials who will champion gun safety. As we head into election season, our grassroots movement is stronger than ever, while Donald Trump and his cronies at the NRA are in a doom spiral. Gun safety advocates are more than ready to roll up their sleeves and get to work re-electing the Biden-Harris Administration so we can continue doing the work necessary to keep American communities safe.”
“The person who still can’t admit he lost in 2020, but thinks gun violence survivors should just ‘get over it,’ is now one step closer to being the Republican nominee for president,” said Erin DeSantis, a member of the Students Demand Action National Advisory Board. “Young voters unilaterally rejected Donald Trump four years ago and we’ll do the same this November – that’s a promise. We’re with the Biden-Harris ticket every step of the way.”
Trump’s Record on Guns:
- After a recent school shooting in Iowa, Trump told his supporters “we have to get over it” and “move forward.”
- At the NRA’s Great American Outdoor Show, Trump bragged that he “did nothing” to address gun violence during his presidency and promised to roll back the Biden-Harris administration’s progress on gun safety.
- Trump has repeatedly refused to condemn violence by right wing extremists and his supporters, including white supremacists at Charlottesville, the El Paso mass shooter, and the Kenosha gunman.
- His lies about the 2020 election led to a violent, armed insurrection on January 6, 2021, in an attempt to overturn the election — and he’s now facing serious criminal charges.
- In the midst of his multiple criminal investigations, Trump pressured House Republicans to defund the FBI and Justice Department.
- Donald Trump made it easier for people with dangerous histories to purchase guns.
- In February 2017, Trump signed a law repealing the Social Security Administration rule requiring that the records of those who have mental health conditions be submitted to the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check system.
- Trump pledged to take action on gun safety after the El Paso and Dayton mass shootings, but after NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre reportedly told Trump to“stop the games,” he took his marching orders and walked away from his commitment.
- In 2020, the Trump administration lifted a ban on sales of silencers to overseas buyers at the behest of Michael B. Williams––a former lobbyist for a gun industry association who previously wrote a failed gun lobby bill designed to gut silencer laws and went on to work for the Trump administration.
- Trump explicitly cut the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) gun violence research funding in his 2020 budget.
In the 2020 election, Everytown for Gun Safety Victory Fund spent nearly $8 million in TV and digital ads to support President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris and defeat Donald Trump. Everytown Victory Fund’s TV and digital ads held President Trump accountable for failing to keep Americans safe from the dual health crises of gun violence and COVID-19, and for opposing bipartisan gun safety measures after he benefited from $31 million in political support from the NRA during the 2016 election. Everytown Victory Fund also ran ads in both English and Spanish, including ads contrasting how President Biden and Trump would lead America in an unprecedented time in our history.
