Everytown for Gun Safety, Moms Demand Action Unveil 10 Executive Actions Next President Can Take to Address Gun Violence

NEW YORK – In advance of the first Democratic debates this week, Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, a part of Everytown, today released a list of 10 executive actions the next President can take to tackle gun safety. A new Morning Consult/Politico poll of Democrats released today found gun policy the top issue, behind only climate change, that Democratic voters want to hear about during debates this week.

“Americans are sick and tired of Congressional inaction in the face of a gun violence epidemic that claims 100 lives every day and wounds hundreds more,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. “The next President must address this crisis on Day One, and Everytown is committed to providing him or her with a roadmap for taking action and saving lives.”

“As a parent, it’s hard to focus on anything else when you fear for your kids’ safety,” said Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. “Too many lives are at stake to put this issue on the back burner. Americans want candidates to prioritize gun safety, and Moms Demand Action volunteers are committed to making sure voters know where every candidate for office stands on this public safety issue.”

The roadmap includes the following steps the next president could take by executive action to address gun violence:

1) Close the loophole that allows many gun sellers to operate without a license.

2) Close the “boyfriend loophole” for convicted domestic abusers, ensuring abusers can no longer buy guns simply because they are not married to their victim.

3) Reverse President Trump’s dangerous policies allowing many fugitives and people with severe mental disabilities to buy guns.

4) Better enforce background checks and domestic violence laws with joint federal-state prosecutions for people who try to evade the background check system and funding for law enforcement to remove guns from prohibited domestic abusers.

5) Cancel the President Trump-era regulation enabling the 3D printing of plastic guns, and take new regulatory action preventing people from making their own undetectable and untraceable firearms.

6) Appoint a national gun czar and form a central hub focused on the gun violence crisis, helping fund scientific research, modernize government data in areas such as firearm storage and non-fatal shootings, and build anti-trafficking tools that empower police to solve crimes.

7) Protect American schools by developing threat assessment and violence intervention strategies that stop school shootings before they happen.

8) Start a public education campaign about firearm suicide to encourage responsible storage and removal of firearms when people pose a risk of self-harm.

9) Support violence intervention programs and services for gun violence survivors, investing in evidence-based strategies in hospitals and in heavily impacted communities.

10) Protect consumers by leading research and development into safer gun technology.

Coupled with these executive actions, the President could also declare gun violence a public health emergency to unlock new resources. A public health emergency declaration projects a president’s values and is an important statement that the government is dedicating its resources to a crisis. It also opens up a raft of emergency powers, which include but are not limited to new funding authorities and research authorities. Recent emergencies have been declared in response to earthquakes, severe weather, and the H1N1 flu epidemic. Our country’s gun violence epidemic is a public health emergency, infecting every aspect of American life.