Everytown, Moms Demand Action Statement on Historic Sit-In by House Democrats Demanding a Vote on Gun Safety

WASHINGTON — Everytown for Gun Safety, the country’s largest gun violence prevention organization, and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America – part of Everytown for Gun Safety – today released the following statement applauding Congressman John Lewis’ and other House Democrats’ historic sit-in and demand for a vote on gun safety legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives before the Congressional recess, which starts Friday, June 24. The sit-in and the Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi’s scheduled press conference today come just two days after the U.S. Senate failed to close two critical gaps in our nation’s gun laws, including a deadly loophole that makes it easy for criminals to avoid background checks by purchasing guns from unlicensed sellers online and at gun shows and the Terror Gap, which allows suspected terrorists to legally purchase guns.

STATEMENT FROM LUCY MCBATH, FAITH AND OUTREACH LEADER FOR EVERYTOWN FOR GUN SAFETY, MOTHER OF SLAIN TEEN JORDAN DAVIS AND DAUGHTER OF FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE ILLINOIS BRANCH OF THE NAACP FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS:

“I am deeply grateful for the leadership of Representative John Lewis in staging a sit-in on the House floor today and I applaud all the House members who participated. I’m a product of the Civil Rights Era, and my father was a Civil Rights leader. I understand the power and authenticity of being able to move people for a cause — and Rep. Lewis has demonstrated the passionate desire in our country for laws that will help save American lives from gun violence. As Dr. King used to say, ‘The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.’ We are seeing the arc bend before our very eyes—Americans demand that we do more to disarm hate.”

STATEMENT FROM SHANNON WATTS, FOUNDER OF MOMS DEMAND ACTION FOR GUN SENSE IN AMERICA:

“We applaud Leader Pelosi, Congressman Lewis, Congressman Thompson, and all the House leaders demanding a vote on gun safety today. The next step is clear for both parties and for both chambers of Congress—it’s time to buck the NRA, protect the public, and ensure that dangerous people, including suspected terrorists, cannot buy guns.”