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Everytown Victory Fund Launches Nearly $70,000 in New Direct Mail Penned by Survivor of Gun Violence in Pennsylvania

October 20, 2020

The Letter is Written by Michelle Roberson, a Survivor of Gun Violence Whose Daughter, Bianca Nikol Roberson, Was Shot and Killed in West Chester in a Road-Rage Incident

Voter Research Shows Voters in Pennsylvania Support Stronger Gun Laws by a 9:1 Margin

PHILADELPHIA – Today, Everytown for Gun Safety Victory Fund unveiled a new direct mail piece in the form of a personal letter penned by Michelle Roberson, a survivor of gun violence and volunteer with Pennsylvania Moms Demand Action, part of Everytown’s grassroots network. In the letter, Michelle Roberson urges voters to oppose Republicans for the Pennsylvania House and Senate who have blocked common-sense gun safety measures, after yet another year of inaction on gun violence. Everytown will spend nearly $70,000 to send the mailer to voters in the following districts:

HD-018, HD-026, HD-028, HD-030, HD-044, HD-105, HD-106, HD-144, HD-147, HD-152, HD-160, HD-189, SD-013, SD-015, and SD-037.

Read the full letter HERE.

In the letter to Pennsylvania voters, Michelle shares that her daughter, Bianca Nikol Roberson, was shot and killed in West Chester in a road-rage incident with another driver on the Route 100 Bypass in June 2017. She was just 18-years-old, and was killed on her way home from shopping for school supplies before her freshman year of college. Michelle calls on Pennsylvanians to vote no on Pennsylvania Republicans who have refused to take up meaningful action on gun violence prevention. 

“When survivors of gun violence tell their stories, voters understand the urgency of electing gun sense candidates at every level of the ballot,” said Charlie Kelly, senior political advisor at Everytown for Gun Safety Victory Fund. “With this mail campaign, we’re engaging in a personal conversation with voters right in their homes, and drawing a direct line between their state legislator’s inaction on gun violence and the pain and suffering it has caused.” 

“There’s nothing I can do to bring back Bianca, but I’ll fight like hell to make sure no one else has to go through what my family has experienced,” said Michelle Roberson. “Republican leadership in Pennsylvania has failed us time and again when it comes to gun violence prevention. It’s on all of us now to throw them out of office, and elect candidates who will actually do something.”

Governor Wolf has pushed for strong gun safety legislation like an extreme risk protection law and background checks on all gun sales, but Republican legislative leaders have refused to take them up.

Everytown for Gun Safety Victory Fund announced that it will spend at least $1 million between now and November 3 to flip both chambers of the Pennsylvania legislature to a gun sense majority. Last month, Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund announced spending roughly $700,000 on digital ads and $700,000 on direct mail primarily targeting Republicans in the Pennsylvania legislature for their inaction in the face of the gun violence crisis.

Polling from Everytown released earlier this year found that the majority of voters in Pennsylvania support stronger gun safety laws:

  • Voters in Pennsylvania support stronger gun laws by a 9:1 margin.
  • 78% of voters consider a candidate’s position on guns “very important” to their vote in 2020.
  • A majority of voters say they would never vote for a candidate who doesn’t support background checks on all gun sales, putting the issue on par with health care and national security in voters’ minds.
  • Further, nearly 60 % of voters are less likely to vote for a candidate who opposes a red flag law (58%); 70% are less likely to support someone who stands in the way of background checks for all gun sales.

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