Candidates are Running on Gun Safety Platforms at All Levels of Elected Office
NEW YORK – Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund today endorsed 16 Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America volunteer leaders and gun violence survivors running for office up and down the ballot.
These endorsed candidates represent key leaders and survivors of the gun violence prevention movement. Overall, dozens of volunteers involved with Moms Demand Action are running for elected offices across the country – from county clerk to U.S. Congress.
Moms Demand Action has been successfully fighting the gun lobby’s agenda for more than five years. Since the deadly shooting at Sandy Hook School, Moms Demands Action volunteers have helped enact countless gun safety laws at the state level, including red flag laws and legislation disarming domestic abusers, and worked to defeat dangerous gun lobby priorities.
Moms Demand Action volunteers and survivors of gun violence know the toll of gun violence that kills 96 Americans every day and wounds hundreds more – and they are running for office to enact change and stand up to the gun lobby’s priorities.
STATEMENT FROM JOHN FEINBLATT, PRESIDENT OF EVERYTOWN FOR GUN SAFETY:
“Everytown is proud to support Moms Demand Action and survivor candidates, who are exactly what Americans are looking for this election season: proven leaders who value public safety over NRA priorities.”
STATEMENT FROM SHANNON WATTS, FOUNDER OF MOMS DEMAND ACTION FOR GUN SENSE IN AMERICA:
“For more than five years, Moms Demand Action volunteers and gun violence survivors have worked tirelessly to shape gun safety legislation across the country. They are now ready to become the elected officials building and implementing policies prioritizing public safety. These volunteers-turned-candidates are determined to protect their communities and families from gun violence, and ensure that their constituents’ voices are not drowned out by gun lobbyists.”
In addition to gun violence survivor Lucy McBath, who is running in Georgia’s 6th Congressional District and was previously endorsed, Everytown today endorsed:
- Nicole Bedi, Michigan House District 40
Bedi was inspired to run for office through her engagement with Moms Demand Action where she realized that her state legislature was not representative of the voice of her community. - Jennifer Longdon, Arizona House District 24
Longdon was inspired to run for office as a survivor of a drive-by shooting in 2004 that left her paralyzed from the chest down. As a gun owner and gun violence survivor, Longdon knows that sensible gun policy and strong democracy are not mutually exclusive. - Katie Reiter, Michigan House District 35
Reiter was inspired to run for office because she wants to do everything in her power to effect change, including supporting gun violence prevention programs and sensible gun safety policies. - Nicole Clowney, Arkansas House District 86
Clowney, an attorney and educator, was a long-time volunteer with the Arkansas chapter of Moms Demand Action and was inspired to run after seeing the effectiveness of grassroots movements. - Adrienne Kvello, Arkansas, Washington County Circuit Clerk
Kvello, an Arkansas native, attorney and small business owner, is running because she believes responsible gun ownership is not in conflict with gun safety measures. - Catherine Stefani, California, San Francisco Board of Supervisors, District 2
Stefani was a long-time volunteer with the California chapter of Moms Demand Action and is running for another term to increase female representation in politics, and because public service is her calling. - Tom Sullivan, Colorado House District 37
Sullivan’s son, Alex, was shot and killed on his 27th birthday at the Aurora movie theater on July 20, 2012. - Luisa Wakeman, Georgia House District 43
Wakeman was inspired to run for office out of concern for the safety of her family, the rights of her children, neighbors and the future of her community. - Amber Gustafson, Iowa Senate District 19
The former Iowa chapter leader for Moms Demand Action, Gustafson, a small business owner, activist and gun owner, became involved in gun violence prevention after the Sandy Hook School mass shooting. - Mary Catherine Roberson, Illinois Vermilion County Clerk
A local group lead for Moms Demand Action and an ESL/GED instructor, Roberson knows too many families who have had children killed by gun violence and wants to do what she can to end gun violence. - Martha Lemert, Indiana House District 52
Lemert, an attorney in Indiana and a leader with the local Moms Demand Action group in Fort Wayne, is running to enact more common-sense gun legislation to protect public safety. - Alex Van Dyke, Kansas House District 67
Van Dyke, a software engineer, was inspired to run for office because of the need for more gun safety laws in Kansas and around the country. - Carolyn Dupont, Kentucky Senate District 22
Dupont, a professor, was inspired to run for office because she believes there is a need for more voices for common-sense gun safety in the government. - Christy Clark, North Carolina House District 98
The former chapter leader for the North Carolina chapter of Moms Demand Action, Clark was inspired to run for office after volunteering in the gun violence prevention movement. - Alexis Jimenez, New Mexico House District 60
Jimenez is running because she believes ensuring public safety is impossible without common-sense gun laws. - Linda Cavazos, Nevada, Clark County School Board Trustee
Cavazos was inspired to run for office because she felt that her diverse background, as a teacher and now as a mental health professional, would allow her to help make a difference.