Americans To Call On Congress To End Gun Violence On National Day To Demand Action -- Thursday, March 28

Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition Announces More than 100 Events Across the Country as Part of Largest Field Campaign in U.S. History to Address Gun Violence

www.DemandAction.org/March28

NEW YORK, March 25, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Mayors Against Illegal Guns today announced that Americans will gather at more than 100 events across the country on Thursday, March 28 as part of the National Day to Demand Action to end gun violence.  While members of Congress are home during the Easter/Passover recess, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, in conjunction with Organizing for Action, Americans for Responsible Solutions and other groups, will organize events and petition drives and generate an unprecedented number of calls into Senate district offices to call for their representatives to support commonsense gun laws like comprehensive and enforceable background checks. 

The National Day to Demand Action will feature hundreds of mayors, law enforcement officials, faith leaders, gun violence survivors and family members, and other Americans who want Congress to take immediate action to strengthen our background check system and reduce gun violence.  The day is expected to be the largest gun violence advocacy event in history and is part of the largest field campaign in U.S. history to address gun violence.  The coalition recently announced that it is hiring organizers and opening campaign offices in ten key states. 

In addition to the National Day to Demand Action, the bipartisan coalition will also air ads in key states demanding that political leaders take action to pass commonsense gun reforms during the upcoming Congressional recess.  Ads can be found here: www.demandaction.org/recessads

Major events across the country will take place in the following states (list in development – all times local):

ARIZONA

Tempe
What:  Petition Drive/Rally
Who:   Daniel Hernandez, Jr. and other gun violence survivors
When:  1:30 PM
Where: St. Augustine Episcopal Parish, 1735 South College Avenue

Tucson

What: Press Conference
Who:   South Tucson Mayor Jennifer Eckstrom and Daniel Hernandez, Jr.
When: 11:00 AM
Where: South Tucson City Hall

INDIANA

Gary

What: Press Conference
Who:   Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson
When: 11:00 AM
Where: Gary City Hall

Indianapolis

What: Petition Drive/Rally 
Who:   Moms Demand Action and Mayors Against Illegal Guns
When: 10:30 AM
Where: East Steps of the Indiana State House

MAINE

Augusta

What: Press Conference/Petition Drive
Who:   Augusta Mayor William Stokes and Hallowell Mayor Charlotte Warren
When: 12:00 noon
Where: University of Maine at Augusta, Civic Center

Portland

What: Press Conference
Who:   Portland Mayor Michael Brennan and former Lewiston Mayor Larry Gilbert, community members, local anti-gun violence organizations 
When: TBD
Where: Portland City Hall

NEVADA

Las Vegas
What: Rally/Petition Drive
Who:   Mayors Against Illegal Guns, Organizing for Action
When: 1:00 PM
Where: Lloyd D. George Courthouse

NORTH CAROLINA

Charlotte

What: Press Conference/Petition Drive
Who:   Faith leaders and gun violence survivors
When:  3:00 PM
Where: Outside City Hall, 600 E. 4th Street

Durham

What:  Press Conference
Who:   Durham Mayor Bill Bell and Chapel Hill Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt
When:  TBD
Where: TBD

Greensboro

What: Press Conference
Who:   Mayor Robbie Perkins, faith leaders
When: 2:00 PM
Where: Congregational United Church of Christ, 400 W. Radiance Dr.

Raleigh

What:  Rally/Petition Drive
Who:   Kim Yaman, gun violence survivor, Moms Demand Action and Organizing for Action
When: TBD
Where: 310 New Bern Avenue

PENNSYLVANIA

Easton

What: Press Conference/Rally
Who:   Mayor Sal Panto and volunteers
When: TBD
Where: Center Square, 3rd and Northampton

Philadelphia

What:  Press Conference
Who:   Mayor Michael Nutter and volunteers 
When: 12:00 noon
Where: Widener Library, 2808 West Lehigh Avenue - 28th and Lehigh

About Mayors Against Illegal Guns

Since its creation in April 2006, Mayors Against Illegal Guns has grown from 15 members to more than 900 mayors from across the country. We have more than 1.5 million grassroots supporters, making us the largest gun violence prevention advocacy organization in the country.  The bipartisan coalition, co-chaired by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, has united the nation's mayors around these common goals: protecting communities by holding gun offenders accountable; demanding access to crime gun trace data that is critical to law enforcement efforts to combat gun trafficking; and working with legislators to fix weaknesses and loopholes in the law that make it far too easy for criminals and other dangerous people to get guns.  Learn more at www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org

CONTACT:

Erika Soto Lamb: esotolamb@rabengroup.com or 646-580-5281
Alex Katz: akatz1@cityhall.nyc.gov or 617-721-3779

SOURCE Mayors Against Illegal Guns