Within One Week, More Than 100,000 People Have Signed Petition Calling on Retailer Cabela’s to Adopt Same Policy; #NoCheckNoSale
NEW YORK – Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, a part of Everytown, today unveiled a new ad campaign, calling on Congress to close the NRA-backed loophole that allows gun sales to proceed even if a background check is incomplete. Starting today, the ad will run as a homepage takeover on Politico.com and later this week, a full-page ad will run in The Washington Post. The ads can be seen here: Politico homepage takeover and Washington Post full-page.
The ad campaign urges political leaders in Congress to close the loophole created by an NRA-backed amendment to the 1993 Brady Bill that, over the last five years, has allowed more than 15,000 gun sales to dangerous people because a background check could not be completed within the three-day period required by the law. Details from the Federal Bureau of Investigation recently revealed that the Charleston shooter obtained a gun despite an incomplete background check due to this loophole in the law. (Fact sheet on the Charleston shooting, the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) and default proceeds is available here.)
“Our ad campaign launching today has a simple message: it’s time for Congress to take action and close the NRA-backed loophole that allows people like the Charleston shooter to obtain a gun without a complete background check,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. “Charleston represents just one of the more than 15,000 sales in the past five years that have gone through without a complete background check. Americans can’t sit idly by when we know that all it takes is one gun in the wrong hands to wreak havoc. Congress must stand up for the safety of Americans and re-write the rules when it comes to the three-day period the NRA fought for years ago.”
The advertising campaign released today comes one-week into #NoCheckNoSale, a Moms Demand Action campaign calling on retailers – starting with Cabela’s – to adopt the same policy that Walmart and other industry leaders have adopted to not proceed with a gun sale until a background check is completed. The petition has received more than 100,000 signatures in its first week.
In 2008, Walmart worked with Mayors Against Illegal Guns, now part of Everytown, to develop and agree to the Responsible Firearms Retailer Partnership, a 10-point code to help ensure dangerous people do not obtain guns, including no sales without a completed background check. Big 5 Sporting Goods, Academy Sports and Outdoors and Dick’s Sporting Goods have also confirmed the same policy.
“The Charleston loophole puts American lives at risk – so we’re not waiting for Congress to act, we’re taking this straight to the retailers” said Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. “American mothers aren’t going to wait for the next shooter to get their hands on a gun because our lawmakers and retailers continue to abide by the arbitrary gun laws the NRA put in place. We’re taking this fight to retailers and our elected leaders can count on hearing from American mothers, too. It’s high time that we close the loophole that allows gun dealers to make a sale, even though a background check is incomplete.”
Background checks that have been completed have blocked more than two million sales to dangerous people and have saved countless lives. More information on background checks is available here: www.everytownresearch.org