During 2018 Inaugural Program Launch, Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Candidate Distinction Program Recognized More Than 3,000 Candidates in 48 States
NEW YORK – Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, a part of Everytown, today announced the release of the 2020 Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Candidate questionnaire to all major 2020 presidential candidates. Each candidate has until July 3, 2019, to complete and return the questionnaire in order to be considered for the presidential Gun Sense Candidate distinction this cycle. Questionnaires ask about where the candidates stand on the issues, how candidates are making gun safety a central part of their campaigns, and how candidates will lead on gun safety if they win.
“Not so long ago, gun safety was the third rail of American politics — but now it’s one of the first things candidates want to talk about on the campaign trail,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. “Our Gun Sense Candidate program is about letting voters know where the candidates stand on gun safety, and how they’ll govern on the issue if elected.”
“Voters are looking to support candidates who will fight for gun safety legislation,” said Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. “The Gun Sense Candidate distinction sends a clear signal to voters that a candidate is committed to keeping our families safe. Our volunteers will do everything they can to send a Gun Sense Candidate to the White House.”
In order to qualify for the Gun Sense Candidate distinction, candidates must also address Moms Demand Action members in person. The first opportunity for presidential candidates to do so will be during Gun Sense University, on August 3, 2019, in Washington, D.C. Gun Sense University is a weekend-long annual conference for Moms Demand Action’s volunteer leaders, with more than 1,500 gun safety advocates expected to attend. All major presidential candidates who demonstrate they are committed to governing with gun safety in mind are invited to attend.
The Gun Sense Candidate distinction is a signal to our nearly 6 million supporters, volunteers and voters across the country that a candidate stands up for gun violence prevention. The Gun Sense Candidate distinction is not an endorsement from Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America or Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund. Receiving the Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Candidate distinction is a prerequisite for being considered for endorsement.
In its inaugural year of 2018, the program recognized more than 3,000 candidates in 48 states who were running for U.S. Senate, U.S. House, Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, and State Legislature.
Moms Demand Action volunteers are already attending candidate forums to elevate the issue of gun safety around the country — and will continue to do so until the 2020 election. In the 2018 midterms, Moms Demand Action volunteers phone banked and canvassed for Gun Sense Candidates for months, and contacted more than 1.2 million voters.