Gun Violence Prevention Once Again Top-Tier Issue During Fourth Democratic Debate
10.15.2019
Debate Follows Weekend of Violence, Including Shootings in Brooklyn, New York; Pelham, New Hampshire; and Chicago, Illinois
NEW YORK — Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, part of Everytown, released the below statements after the fourth Democratic presidential debate again featured gun violence prevention as a top tier issue.
“It’s telling that the Democratic presidential candidates — who are talking to voters every day — are seizing any chance they get to talk about preventing gun violence, while the White House and Senate Republicans continue to say almost nothing about the crisis, and do even less,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. “Americans expect their leaders in Washington to take action on gun violence — and if they don’t, those leaders should expect the worst on November 3, 2020.”
“Contrast the candidates on stage tonight, who proactively spoke about their commitment to act to address our nation’s gun violence crisis, with the President and the Senate Majority Leader, who have sat on their hands and prevented the passage of any meaningful gun safety legislation,” said Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. “That inaction is endangering American families and communities, and Moms Demand Action volunteers are more energized than ever to elect leaders committed to ending gun violence in 2019 and 2020.”
The 2020 presidential cycle has been notable for the number of candidates proudly embracing gun safety as an issue to run and win on. All candidates on tonight’s debate stage have received Moms Demand Action Presidential Gun Sense Candidate Distinctions. There were two requirements in order to qualify for the Gun Sense Candidate distinction: first, completing an eighteen-part questionnaire focused on their positions on gun safety issues, and second, addressing Moms Demand Action members in-person. Questionnaires asked about where the candidates stand on the issues, how candidates are making gun safety a central part of their campaigns and how candidates will lead on gun safety if they win.
To help track the latest news on gun policy, Everytown for Gun Safety has launched an interactive tracker: In Their Own Words, Where the 2020 Candidates Stand on Gun Safety.