FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts:
CJ Frogozo, CJ@FitzGibbonMedia.com, 310.570.2622
Rachel Tardiff, Rachel@FitzGibbonMedia.com, 202.746.1507
New York, NY – “Today, President Obama took an important step toward reducing gun violence in our communities. By committing to a package of administrative and legislative reforms making it tougher for those who would do us harm to access the guns and ammunition they seek, President Obama is rightfully putting everyday people before gun industry profits.
“The National Rifle Association, which represents gun manufacturers and dealers, has repeatedly opposed any alternatives to unrestricted gun access, including long-overdue, commonsense efforts to expand background checks and outlaw high-capacity magazines. Through its decades-long relationship with the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), the NRA has pushed legislation designed to maintain and expand the gun market — at any cost.
“This single-minded focus on gun industry profits has left ALEC and the NRA far out of step with everyday Americans, who overwhelmingly favor closing the no-paperwork-required private sale loophole that accounts for an astonishing 40% of gun purchases. ALEC and the NRA pushed the loophole to ensure continued access to guns and ammunition for people with violent criminal histories and severe mental illness, and they are responsible for the massive gun trafficking from loophole states — primarily red, rural, and southern — to cities struggling desperately to stem the tide of gun violence.
“We applaud President Obama and Vice President Biden for their laudable work to meaningfully address the mass shootings and everyday gun violence that have impacted so many Americans’ lives. We now call on the remaining corporate funders of the American Legislative Exchange Council to take a stand against profit-driven gun violence and disassociate themselves from the toxic ALEC/NRA gun access agenda.”
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