Everytown, Moms Demand Action Statement on the Conclusion of the Republican National Convention

WASHINGTON — Last night, the Republican National Convention wrapped in Milwaukee and, despite a weekend shooting at a Trump rally that left the former president injured and one attendee dead, America’s gun violence crisis wasn’t addressed (and neither, for that matter, were gun rights or the Second Amendment). In response, Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action released the following statements:

“As Saturday demonstrated, no one — not even the former president — is safe from gun violence. In what should’ve been a moment for reflection on the need to address gun violence, Donald Trump and J.D. Vance tried to pretend the crisis that takes 120 American lives a day doesn’t exist,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. “While it’s clear that gun extremists have a dream ticket, Donald Trump and J.D. Vance’s guns everywhere agenda would be a nightmare for the safety of our communities.” 

“It is outrageous that even after the assassination attempt on their party’s leader, the Republican National Convention chose not to address America’s gun violence crisis,” said Angela Ferrell-Zabala, executive director of Moms Demand Action. “Trump and Vance are clearly out of touch with the vast majority of Americans who know that sitting on our hands and doing nothing will do nothing to solve the crisis that has become the leading cause of death for kids in America. Our movement is ready to defeat their ticket – and the entire gun lobby – this November.”

Trump’s Record on Guns:

• After a recent school shooting in Iowa, Trump told his supporters “we have to get over it” and “move forward.”

• At the NRA’s Great American Outdoor Show, Trump bragged that he “did nothing” to address gun violence during his presidency and promised to roll back the Biden-Harris administration’s progress on gun safety.

• Trump has repeatedly refused to condemn violence by right wing extremists and his supporters, including white supremacists at Charlottesville, the El Paso mass shooter, and the Kenosha gunman.
  • His lies about the 2020 election led to a violent, armed insurrection on January 6, 2021, in an attempt to overturn the election — and he’s now facing serious criminal charges.

• In the midst of his multiple criminal investigations, Trump pressured House Republicans to defund the FBI and Justice Department.

• Donald Trump made it easier for people with dangerous histories to purchase guns.
  • In February 2017, Trump signed a law repealing the Social Security Administration rule requiring that the records of those who have mental health conditions be submitted to the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check system.

• Trump pledged to take action on gun safety after the El Paso and Dayton mass shootings, but after NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre reportedly told Trump to“stop the games,” he took his marching orders and walked away from his commitment.

• In 2020, the Trump administration lifted a ban on sales of silencers to overseas buyers at the behest of Michael B. Williams––a former lobbyist for a gun industry association who previously wrote a failed gun lobby bill designed to gut silencer laws and went on to work for the Trump administration.

• Trump explicitly cut the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) gun violence research funding in his 2020 budget.

Vance’s Record on Guns:

• J.D. Vance has a long record of opposing common-sense gun safety measures — he believes that neither expanding background checks nor Red Flag laws will solve the problem of gun violence. 

• He opposed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act and supported arming teachers in classrooms. 

• Senator Vance has called gun violence “fake problems” and efforts to address it “a huge distraction.” 

• The NRA spent nearly $500,000 supporting the NRA-endorsed, A-Rated candidate’s 2022 Senate campaign. 

• Vance advocated for abolishing the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF).