Share this page!

Shannon Watts Profile picture
Twitter logo
Jan 12 • 9 tweets • 5 min read
NEW: As the gun industry gets ready to party in Vegas at the NSSF’s #SHOTShow2023 - where thousands of gun makers, sellers, and media gather to celebrate sales and show off new products - @Everytown has just released a new report on the NSSF 🧵
everytownresearch.org/report/the-gun…
One of the biggest draws? Deadly assault weapons like the one used in the 2017 Las Vegas shooting. But that won't stop @NSSFSHOTShow - a few months later, just 2 miles down the Strip, they went on with the show, as they did after Newtown, Parkland and more.ktnv.com/news/las-vegas…
Open only to industry insiders, SHOT is put on by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (@NSSF), the gun industry’s trade association, which actually now spends more money on federal lobbying against gun safety than the NRA does.
As our new @Everytown report details, the NSSF is just as dangerous as the NRA: They fight to weaken gun laws, defends weapons of war for civilians, they pander to the far right, and they even helps gun makers target children as future customers.
The NSSF is led by Larry Keane (I'd tag him, but he blocked me), a guy who regularly rails against what he calls “woke” politics and was once caught on hidden camera saying the best way to get youth involved in the shooting sports was to “get the moms.”
abc.net.au/news/2019-03-2…
Larry’s @NSSF board members are gun maker executives, including the CEO of Daniel Defense, who called mass shootings — including the Uvalde shooting, committed with one of his AR-15s — “local problems” and claimed this post was about gun safety:
Reminder: Guns are now the leading cause of death among children and teens in America.
nbcnews.com/health/health-…
Another NSSF board member is Ruger CEO Chris Killoy, who refused to condemn gun ads while right-wing appealing to extremists in front of the House Oversight Committee last summer.
But don’t worry, @MomsDemand and @StudentsDemand volunteers will make sure that what happens in Vegas at #SHOTShow2023 does not stay in Vegas. Stay tuned for more...

And text JOIN to 644-33 - help us hold the gun industry accountable.

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
　

Keep Current with Shannon Watts

Shannon Watts Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @shannonrwatts

Shannon Watts Profile picture
Jan 14
Obituary for the Utah man who fatally shot his five children, mother-in-law and estranged wife: “Michael made it a point to spend quality time with each and every one of his children. Michael enjoyed making memories with the family.” mortuary.org/obituaries/mic…
And if that’s not gross enough, the wife’s family put out a statement supporting … guns: “This is the type of loss that will continue to occur in families, communities and this nation when protective arms are no longer accessible.” eastidahonews.com/2023/01/read-e…
“It is our desire that the media turn their attention to … the great works of God that can render a forgiving heart, how religion can heal and enlarge our capacity for love, and a return to foundational principles of peace within our nation.”
Read 5 tweets
Shannon Watts Profile picture
Jan 9
After starting @MomsDemand and serving as a full-time volunteer for a decade, I’m stepping back from my leadership role at the end of 2023. It's been the honor of a lifetime to lead this organization and fight for gun safety while empowering women to lead.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/…
Founders play an important - but finite - role in movements. We create a space to gather, but it’s the people who fill it who make the difference. And that’s the amazing @MomsDemand and @StudentsDemand volunteers and gun violence survivors I've worked with for so many years.
It was important to me to step back so that others can step forward. I’ve always said this is a marathon, not a sprint. But the reality is, it’s also a relay race. And the time has come for me to pass the baton to other leaders in our organization and movement.
Read 9 tweets
Shannon Watts Profile picture
Jan 2
Days after a gunman killed 10 people at a Boulder grocery store, Rico Marley was arrested at an Atlanta Publix for wearing body armor and carrying six loaded guns (four handguns, an AR-15, and a 12-gauge shotgun). But in Georgia, that’s not illegal. nytimes.com/2023/01/02/us/…
Only Illinois, Florida and California prohibit open carry. Other states prohibit the open carry of handguns. And @MomsDemand volunteers rolled back recreational open carry in Rhode Island last year. But in most states, the open carry of loaded long guns is completely unregulated.
In 2014, the NRA opposed open carry: “Not only is it rare, it's downright weird ... To those not acquainted with the dubious practice of using public displays of firearms as a means to draw attention to oneself or one's cause, it can be downright scary.” cbsnews.com/news/nra-open-…
Read 5 tweets
Shannon Watts Profile picture
Dec 30, 2022
Nearly three months ago, a 36-year-old white man and convicted domestic abuser in Columbus, Ohio, shot Sinzae Reed, a Black 13-year-old, in the back multiple times, killing him. The suspect is not in custody and, in fact, may be claiming self-defense. dispatch.com/story/news/cri…
A witness saw the suspect exit a truck and fire at Reed before fleeing the scene. He was charged with Reed's homicide and held on $1M bond, but charges were dropped pending an investigation. Prosecutors said the suspect fired shots in self-defense and filed a motion to dismiss.
Federal law bars people with domestic violence convictions from having guns, but Ohio law does not prohibit people with misdemeanor convictions for domestic violence from carrying firearms. As a result, Franklin County prosecutors can’t file that charge against the suspect.
Read 4 tweets
Shannon Watts Profile picture
Dec 19, 2022
CNN CEO Chris Licht calls criticisms of the network for hiring a gun lobby shill as a pundit on gun violence “uninformed vitriol” from the left, saying, “No one wants a school shooting. But we have to understand the culture of people who like guns.” nytimes.com/2022/12/18/bus…
The pundit CNN hired is Stephen Gutowski - someone knowledgeable about guns for sure, but also someone who spews gun lobby rhetoric and lies about solutions. I mean, he was named “gun lobby reporter of the year” for a reason.
I appreciate that Chris Licht wants to make CNN more serious and tone down the WWF-style of cable news. But there is no both sides-ing when one side - gun extremists - is so far out of the mainstream. A MAJORITY OF REPUBLICANS AND GUN OWNERS SUPPORT STRONGER GUN LAWS.
Read 4 tweets
Shannon Watts Profile picture
Dec 15, 2022
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.
Read 18 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!

This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us on Twitter!

Send Email!

:(