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Everytown Statement on Senate Judiciary Hearing on Protecting Children from Gun Violence

June 15, 2022

WASHINGTON — Today, Everytown for Gun Safety and its grassroots networks, Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, released the following statements after today’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on protecting America’s children from gun violence. The hearing, chaired by Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), featured testimony from Ernest Wilingham, a survivor of gun violence from Chicago, Dr. Moira Szilagyi, the president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Jeri Williams, the Chief of the Phoenix Police Department and President of the Major Cities Chiefs Association, Max Schachter the founder and CEO of Safe Schools for Alex, and Amy Swearer, legal fellow for the Heritage Foundation. A recording can be viewed here.

“Days after introducing a lifesaving framework for a bipartisan gun safety bill, the Senate continues showcasing the need to protect children from gun violence,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. “The American people are demanding action from Washington on gun safety, and we’re grateful to Chairman Durbin for heeding that call and leading the way.”

“Protecting kids from gun violence — the leading cause of death for children and teens — requires our leaders to take action on common-sense policies that are proven to save lives,” said Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action. “As Senators move forward on turning the recently introduced bipartisan framework into law, we’re grateful Senator Durbin continues to shine a light on the epidemic of gun violence.”

“Young people have been begging federal lawmakers to make gun safety a top priority, and we’re finally seeing our lawmakers act,” said Chloe Gayer, a volunteer with Students Demand Action from Iowa and member of the Students Demand Action National Advisory Board. “Nothing is killing us faster in this country than guns, and we’re not going to stop fighting until our lawmakers have ended this fully preventable crisis.”

 On Sunday, a bipartisan group of 20 senators introduced a historic framework that, if enacted, would be the first major federal gun safety law in nearly 26 years. Since the tragic shootings in Uvalde and Buffalo, Everytown supporters, alongside gun violence survivors and Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action volunteers, have shown up in Washington, D.C., and in the home states of U.S. senators to call for action, sending over 900,000 calls and messages to the U.S. Senate and dropping off tens of thousands of petitions at home state offices urging them to take bold action. In early June, Everytown and Moms Demand Action held more than 350 events across all 50 states for National Gun Violence Awareness Day and Wear Orange Weekend. Last week, Everytown and Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action held two rallies on Capitol Hill. Everytown also launched a $400,000 ad campaign targeting key U.S. senators.

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