Everytown, Moms Demand Action Respond to President Trump’s Supreme Court List

NEW YORK – Today, Everytown for Gun Safety released the following statements in response to President Donald Trump’s newly released additions to his shortlist of potential Supreme Court nominees, should a vacancy arise. The additions to the shortlist notably include Judges Kyle Duncan and James Ho, both of whom espoused an extreme and dangerous interpretation of the Second Amendment in voting to reconsider the decision in Mance v. Sessions, which had upheld a federal gun safety statute, and said they would have struck the statute down; former U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement, the attorney of choice for the NRA and its affiliates, including in McDonald v. Chicago, NYSRPA v. City of New York, and Peruta v. County of San Diego; and Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX), Tom Cotton (R-AR), and Josh Hawley (R-MO), all of whom have opposed common-sense gun safety laws like background checks on all gun sales throughout their time in the Senate:

“This list is a gift from President Trump to the gun lobby, which is relying on the Supreme Court to shore up its huge losses in the court of public opinion,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. “Whether you’re looking at the judges he supports or the common-sense gun safety laws he rejects, it’s crystal clear that President Trump lacks both the courage and the vision to buck the NRA and put public safety first.”

“With the success our movement has seen at the ballot box and in state houses across the country, it’s not surprising that President Trump and the NRA are trying to stack the courts against progress – and against precedent,” said Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action. “The courts have consistently said that common-sense gun safety laws don’t conflict with the Second Amendment, and come November, we’ll elect gun sense champions who recognize that.” 

Earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court declined an invitation to adopt the NRA’s extreme and dangerous interpretation of the Second Amendment in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. City of New York, a case that challenged now-repealed New York City regulations limiting the locations to which holders of a “premises license” could transport their handguns. Despite the repeal, the NRA had hoped to use the case to roll back gun safety legislation nationwide. Subsequently, the Court rejected 10 additional petitions asking the court to review Second Amendment challenges to city and state gun safety laws.