Thread by @shannonrwatts

TEN YEARS AGO today, at my Indiana kitchen counter, I created a Facebook page that became @MomsDemand. I never imagined we'd become the largest grassroots organization and, with @Everytown and @StudentsDemand, twice the size of the NRA with 10M supporters. wbur.org/hereandnow/202…

A decade ago, gun safety was the third rail of American politics. A quarter of all Dems in Congress had NRA A-ratings. The NRA wielded outsized influence and could generate angry calls and emails to lawmakers. And there was no national gun safety grassroots movement to stop them.

When Manchin-Toomey failed in Congress in 2013, we could have backed down. Instead, we doubled down, building a grassroots movement that could take down the gun lobby. We educated voters, met with lawmakers at all levels, and demanded gun safety in statehouses and in the streets.

In the past decade, @MomsDemand and @StudentsDemant volunteers have passed nearly 500 gun safety laws, including:
Background checks on all handgun gun sales in 21 states and DC;
Red flag laws in 19 states and DC;
Laws that disarm domestic abusers in 29 states and DC;

Laws that close the Charleston Loophole and give authorities more than three business days to complete a background check in 20 states and DC;
Secure storage laws in 11 states, brining the total states with these laws to 23;
Police accountability laws in 13 states since 2020.

We've worked with community partners at city, state and federal levels to unlock hundreds of millions of dollars for gun violence prevention and local violence intervention and prevention programs.

We're also innovating: From rolling back Colorado's pre-emption law to passing an assault weapons ban in Delaware to rolling back recreational open carry in Rhode Island to passing a first of its kind ordinance in San Jose that requires liability insurance for all gun owners.

And, thanks to our volunteers #BeSmart work, next school year over 8.5M students in the US will live in a district that requires schools to educate parents about secure storage - quadruple the number of students receiving this information a year ago. besmartforkids.org

We're also playing defense. Every year for the last 7 years, our volunteers have defeated hundreds of NRA-backed bills in statehouses, giving us a win rate of 90% against the gun lobby. These gun lobby priorities include arming teachers, Stand Your Ground, and permitless carry.

And, of course, this year we helped pass the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act after we sent 1M calls and messages into the Senate, held rallies, and met with Senators. And we helped confirm the first permanent ATF Director in 7 years after sending 900K messages into the Senate.

In addition the Biden-Harris administration announced a new rule to promote the secure storage of firearms in homes, and an initiative to crack down on ghost guns and gun trafficking. President Biden also signed the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act into law.

Hundreds of @MomsDemand volunteers have run for office and won. Just last month, we helped elect 140 volunteers and survivors, putting our gun sense champions in office in the House of Representatives, statehouses, city councils and school boards. 19thnews.org/2022/12/moms-d…

In Minnesota, Erin Maye Quade will be the first Black woman elected to the state Senate. In Illinois, Nabeela Syed will be the youngest member of the Illinois General Assembly. In Indiana, Andrea Hunley will be the first Black person elected to the state Senate from her district.

Along the way, we've also convinced businesses to do the right thing. After pressure from @MomsDemand volunteers, over 40 major store brands - including Albertsons, ALDI, CVS, Kroger, Meijer, Publix, Wegmans, Walgreens and Walmart - restricted open carry in their stores.

Meanwhile, the NRA is in crisis and losing its grip on political power amid infighting, investigations, and allegations of millions of dollars in self-dealing and lavish spending by its executives. bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

Despite the NRA’s vocal opposition to the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act and Dettelbach’s confirmation, both passed the Senate with Republican support. And even though the NRA spent over $10M of its dwindling funds this election cycle, they didn't get control of the Senate.

We've worked for a decade to create an army of mothers and others, students and survivors to show lawmakers when they do the right thing, we’ll have their backs. And when they do the wrong thing, we'll have their jobs. Today gun safety isn’t just good policy, it’s good politics.

Ten years ago, volunteers like me pledged to take on the most powerful special interest that's ever existed – and we're winning. But gun violence is the leading cause of death among kids in America; we need everyone to get off the sidelines and get involved.

Text READY to 644-33