NEW YORK – Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, part of Everytown, today released the following statements following reports that Sheriff David Clarke is being appointed to a position in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
STATEMENT FROM JOHN FEINBLATT, PRESIDENT, EVERYTOWN FOR GUN SAFETY:
“Sheriff David Clarke’s reported appointment to the Department of Homeland Security is just the latest gift to the gun lobby – a continuing return on the NRA’s more than $30 million investment into the Trump campaign. The NRA has also spent tens of thousands to advance Clarke’s career and in return he has served as an NRA spokesman and even traveled with the NRA to Moscow to meet with a sanctioned Russian government official in 2015. No doubt the gun lobby is counting on Clarke to continue to advance their dangerous agenda including their top federal priority: so-called ‘concealed carry reciprocity’, which would make the weakest link the law of the land and force states to allow domestic abusers, convicted stalkers and other violent people to carry hidden, loaded guns in public. This dangerous policy is out of step with law enforcement officials across our country and that’s why our movement of more than three million Americans is prepared to stand vigilant against further attempts to gut our country’s gun laws – our public safety depends on it.”
STATEMENT FROM SHANNON WATTS, FOUNDER, MOMS DEMAND ACTION FOR GUN SENSE IN AMERICA:
“The reported appointment of Sheriff David Clarke to the Department of Homeland Security should be a wake-up call for Americans everywhere that our public safety is less important than a $30 million dollar check from the NRA leadership. Sheriff Clarke referred to the Women’s March on Washington as a ‘freak show’, opposes efforts to strengthen our nation’s gun laws and signed on to the NRA’s extremist agenda of more guns in more places, no questions asked. Policies that put communities of color, women and children at increased risk—and policies that our army of volunteers with fight tooth and nail against in our nation’s Capitol and in statehouses across the country.”