Donald Trump’s refusal to take action to address gun violence has brought us four deadly years. Ahead of tonight’s first #PresidentialDebate of 2020, here are some facts about Trump’s paltry record on gun safety voters should know:
On every level Donald Trump has refused to take action to address gun violence, and his failures have brought us four deadly years. In fact, more than 145K Americans have died by gun violence under his watch. #Debates2020
The gun lobby spent $31 million to elect Trump. Since then, Trump has shaped U.S. gun policy to the gun lobby’s demands, not the vast majority of Americans who want action on gun safety. #Debates2020
Trump has made it easier for criminals to access untraceable ghost guns, reversing an Obama-era rule in order to allow people suffering from severe mental illness to buy guns, and ending the ban on silencer sales to buyers overseas, putting US troops at risk. #Debates2020
Trump threatened to veto bipartisan House-passed legislation to require background checks on all gun sales — a policy supported by 93% of American voters. #Debates2020
Trump pledged to take action on gun safety after the El Paso and Dayton mass shootings, but after a meeting with NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre, Trump walked away from his commitment. #Debates2020
Gun sales have surged amid the pandemic, overwhelming the background check system and allowing more and more guns to be sold without a background check. The DOJ warned about this scenario at the start of the pandemic, yet Trump has done nothing to address it. #Debates2020
Trump has repeatedly refused to condemn violence by right wing extremists and supporters of his candidacy, including white supremacists at Charlottesville, the El Paso mass shooter, and the Kenosha gunman. #Debates2020
The Trump administration’s inaction on gun violence has cost American lives, full stop. It’s imperative voters replace Trump with a president who is dedicated to enacting common-sense gun safety measures to save lives: @JoeBiden. #Debates2020
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VOLUNTEER VICTORIES! #ElectionNight results are still coming in, but our volunteers are winning races up and down the ballot in states across the country!
Follow this thread for all of our amazing volunteer victories! #DemandASeat 🧵
VOLUNTEER VICTORY IN VIRGINIA! Rozia Henson has been elected to the Virginia State House, representing District 19! @Henson4Virginia is a passionate advocate for gun safety who is committed to enacting strong gun laws that will save lives. #DemandASeat #VALeg
VOLUNTEER VICTORY IN NEW HAMPSHIRE! Congratulations to Moms Demand Action volunteer-turned-Concord School Board Representative for Ward B, Liz Boucher! As a safe storage champion, we know Liz will work tirelessly to keep our schools safe! #DemandASeat
Jennifer Sharp is painfully aware of the dangers of an armed abuser. Both her mother, Cindy, and her daughter, Kaila, were shot & killed by intimate partners. Jennifer is wearing orange for the 70 women per month in the US whose lives are taken in this terrifying way. #WearOrange
Jennifer was inspired to join the gun violence prevention movement because she wanted to do something meaningful to honor the two women she loved the most. #WearOrange
“After searching in the dark for so long, I finally found where I belong,” Jennifer said. “I attended a support group, which was an amazing and uplifting experience. Speaking to other members with the same experiences has helped me immensely on my healing journey.” #WearOrange
Arry McNeill has not only endured the trauma of having a child taken by gun violence, her pain is compounded by the fact that her son’s shooting death remains unsolved. Today, she is wearing orange for Antonio and all those who live with unanswered questions. #WearOrange
“Every time I hear about a shooting, especially of a young person, I feel the pain of their parents like they are my own child,” Arry said. “The high rate of lives that families have lost breaks my heart.” #WearOrange
Today, Arry fights with other survivors of gun violence to ensure no other parent experiences this kind of trauma. #WearOrange
On January 21, 2013, Hadiya Pendleton, a high school student from the South Side of Chicago, marched in President Obama’s second inaugural parade. One week later, Hadiya was shot and killed on a playground in Chicago. She would have turned 26 today. #WearOrange 🧵
Soon after Hadiya’s death, her friends commemorated her life by wearing orange. They chose orange because it’s the color hunters wear in the woods to protect themselves. #WearOrange
In June of 2015, a broad coalition asked people nationwide to join what Hadiya’s friends started for the first National Gun Violence Awareness Day. Americans will #WearOrange again this year to honor victims and survivors of gun violence and to spread awareness about this crisis.
Sonia Argentina Guzman, 25, was the first victim shot and killed in the Cleveland, Texas mass shooting this weekend. She went to the front door to talk the shooter down and protect her family. She was dedicated to her loved ones, sending support to her relatives in Honduras.
Daniel Enrique Laso was Sonia’s son. He was a “sweet,” active child who loved to play soccer and ride bikes with other kids in the neighborhood. Daniel dreamed of becoming a police officer when he grew up. He was only eight years old.
Julisa Molina Rivera, 31, was enjoying an evening with her extended family when the shooting began. She died shielding Sonia’s two younger children from the bullets. The 2-year-old and 6-week-old survived, unharmed.
Yesterday, Live Nation announced the cancellation of the 2022 Music Midtown festival—set to take place in Atlanta this September—with multiple sources citing Georgia’s weak gun laws as the cause of this year’s cancellation. rollingstone.com/music/music-ne…
Music Midtown is held each year in Piedmont Park, but thanks to Georgia’s weak gun laws, festival organizers are unable to enforce a prohibition on firearms during the event — a key stipulation for some of the artists who were slated to perform.
Georgia has some of the country’s weakest firearm laws. Earlier this year, despite the objections of 70 percent of Georgia voters, Gov. Brian Kemp signed permitless carry into law, allowing people to carry concealed guns in public with no background check and no safety training.