NAA, GVP ALLIES, CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS, & FAMILIES & ADVOCATES FROM 20 STATES DEMAND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TO OPPOSE THE CONCEALED CARRY RECIPROCITY ACT OF 2017, “ARM ANYONE” BILL
For Immediate Release
December 5, 2017
Contacts:
Newtown Action Alliance: John Kelley 917-679-6475 jkelley@newtownaction.org
Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence: James Tyll (202) 370-8131 media@bradymail.org
Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America: Taylor Maxwell 704-975-4589 tmaxwell@everytown.org
Giffords: Jason Phelps (651) 274-9417 jphelps@giffords.org
Women’s March: WMWpress@sunshinesachs.com
MEDIA ADVISORY
NEWTOWN ACTION ALLIANCE, BRADY CAMPAIGN TO PREVENT GUN VIOLENCE, STATES UNITED TO PREVENT GUN VIOLENCE, EVERYTOWN FOR GUN SAFETY, GIFFORDS, MOMS DEMAND ACTION FOR GUN SENSE IN AMERICA, WOMEN’S MARCH, CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS, & FAMILIES & ADVOCATES FROM 20 STATES DEMAND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TO OPPOSE THE CONCEALED CARRY RECIPROCITY ACT OF 2017, “ARM ANYONE” BILL
WHAT: A joint press conference will be held to implore the U.S. House of Representatives to oppose the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017, the “arm anyone” bill, the egregious NRA proposal that would effectively allow states with the weakest gun laws to supersede gun laws in states like Connecticut and California with the strongest gun laws in the nation. It will take place before the 5th Annual National Vigil for All Victims of Gun Violence at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, commemorating the fifth anniversary of the tragic shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School, as well as the 500,000 American victims and survivors of gun violence since December 2012. Nearly 100 families and survivors directly impacted by gun violence from 20 states will stand united in their opposition to this dangerous bill.
WHO:
Representative Elizabeth Esty (CT, 5th District)
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT)
Representative Mike Thompson, Chair, House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force
Representative Jerry Nadler, Ranking Member, House Judiciary Committee
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18)
Po Murray, Chair of Newtown Action Alliance and the Newtown Foundation
Kris Brown, Co-President of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence
Victoria Coy, National Director of States United to Prevent Gun Violence
Shannon Watts, Founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America
Don Schreiber, Racher, Rio Arriba County, NM
Jamie Barnett, Rear Admiral USN (Ret.)
Sabrina Tapp-Harper, Major, Baltimore City Sheriff’s Office
David Chipman, Giffords Senior Policy Advisor and 25-year ATF veteran
Bob Bland, Co-President of Women’s March
Reverend Michele H. Morgan, the Rector of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Capitol Hill
Peter Newsham, DC Metropolitan Police Chief
Nearly 100 family members of victims and survivors of gun violence from 20 states including:
Jane Dougherty, sister of Mary Sherlach, school psychologist killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School
Gilles & Joyce Rousseau, parents of Lauren Rousseau, another teacher killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School
Rafael and Milagros Burgos, parents of Alexandria Imani Burgos, shot and killed by a stray bullet in Chicago, Illinois
Rev. Sharon Risher, daughter of Mrs. Ethel Lance, killed in the Emanuel AME Church shooting
Andy and Barbara Parker, parents of journalist Alison Parker, who was killed in Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia on live television
Chris Hurst, former WDBJ7 anchor whose girlfriend Alison Parker was killed on live television in 2015 and delegate-elect from the 12th district of the Virginia House of Delegates
Sandy and Lonnie Phillips, parents of Jessica Ghawi, who was killed in the Aurora movie theater massacre
Bob Weiss, father of Veronika Weiss, who was shot and killed in the Isla Vista Shooting
Jane Weiss, aunt of Veronika Weiss, who was shot and killed in the Isla Vista shooting
Diane Sellgren, whose daughter committed suicide with a gun
Melody McFadden, daughter of Patricia Ann Geddis and aunt of Sandy Patrice Geddis Barnwell, who were killed in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Denise Cromwell, niece of Sam Caulder, who committed suicide with a gun in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Tina Meins, daughter of Damian Meins, who was killed in San Bernardino, California
Thomas Magee, brother of Laura Magee, who was shot and killed by her husband in 1995 in Scotts Mills, Oregon and uncle of Sarah, 6; Rachel, 3; and April, 6 months who were also shot and killed at that time. His mother was shot but survived the incident.
Brenda Grisham, mother of Christopher Lavell Jones, who was murdered in Oakland, California
Christina Johnson, mother of Christopher Johnson, who was murdered in Chicago, Illinois
Sam Saylor, Pastor and father of Shane Oliver who was murdered in Hartford, Connecticut
And many others
WHEN: Wednesday, December 6, 2017 1:00PM
WHERE: U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C., The House Triangle
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Newtown Action Alliance (http://alliance.newtownaction.org/) is a Newtown-based, national grassroots organization formed after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings. Our mission is to achieve the steady and continuous reduction of gun violence through legislative and cultural changes.
About Everytown for Gun Safety: Everytown is the largest gun violence prevention organization in the country with more than four million supporters and more than 170,000 donors including moms, mayors, survivors and everyday Americans who are fighting for public safety measures that respect the Second Amendment and help save lives. At the core of Everytown are Mayors Against Illegal Guns, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America and the Everytown Survivor Network. Learn more at www.everytown.org and follow us @Everytown
About Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America: Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America is a grassroots movement of Americans fighting for public safety measures that respect the Second Amendment and protect people from gun violence. Moms Demand Action campaigns for new and stronger solutions to lax gun laws and loopholes that jeopardize the safety of our children and families. Since its inception after the tragedy at Sandy Hook School, Moms Demand Action has established a chapter in every state of the country and, along with Mayors Against Illegal Guns and the Everytown Survivor Network, it is part of Everytown for Gun Safety, the largest gun violence prevention organization in the country with four million supporters and more than 170,000 donors. For more information or to get involved visit www.momsdemandaction.org. Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MomsDemandAction or on Twitter at @MomsDemand
About Women’s March: The mission of Women’s March is to harness the political power of diverse women and their communities to create transformative social change. Women’s March is a women-led movement providing intersectional education on a diverse range of issues and creating entry points for new grassroots activists and organizers to engage in their local communities through trainings, outreach programs and events. Women’s March is committed to dismantling systems of oppression through nonviolent resistance and building inclusive structures guided by self-determination, dignity and respect.
About the Brady Campaign and Center to Prevent Gun Violence: The mission of the Brady organization and its Million Mom March is to create a safer America by cutting gun deaths in half by 2025. For more insight on gun violence prevention, follow us on Facebook and Twitter @BradyBuzz. The Brady Campaign and Center, united with the Million Mom March, is a national network of over 90 grassroots chapter affiliates mobilized to prevent gun violence at the community level. The network has played a vital role in expanding Brady background checks in the six states that have passed legislation since the shooting in Newtown, Connecticut and produced the largest national protest of gun violence in U.S. history – The Million Mom March, Mother’s Day 2000.
About Giffords: Giffords is a nonprofit organization dedicated to saving lives from gun violence. Led by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, Navy combat veteran and retired NASA astronaut Captain Mark Kelly, Giffords inspires the courage of people from all walks of life to make America safer.