Gun Owners Nationwide To Urge Congress To Support Common-Sense Background Checks At Events In 11 States This Week

More Than 90 Percent of Americans – Including 82 Percent of Gun Owners – Support Comprehensive, Tough-On-Crime Background Checks

*** MEDIA ADVISORY***

WASHINGTON, Aug. 27, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Gun owners will gather at Congressional offices, police stations, and city halls nationwide for events in 11 states this week to call on elected officials to support comprehensive background checks that will help guns out of the wrong hands. Polls have found that 82 percent of gun owners – including 74 percent of NRA members – support this tough-on-crime measure.  

At events, gun owners will be hosting roundtable discussions, phone-banking, and holding press conferences in an effort to urge members of Congress to support bipartisan legislation that would extend background checks to cover private gun sales in commercial settings – including at gun shows and over the Internet. This includes an amendment sponsored by NRA A-rated Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Pat Toomey (R-PA) in the U.S. Senate, and a bill sponsored by Congressmen Peter King (R-NY) and Mike Thompson (D-CA) in the U.S. House.

Events will take place in: New York, Montana, Washington, Nevada, Arkansas, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Texas, Oregon, Minnesota, and Ohio. Details below (all times local):

Wednesday, Aug. 28

NEW YORK
Kingston
What: New York Gun Owners to Gather to Call on Rep. Gibson to Support Common-Sense Background Checks
Where: Rep. Chris Gibson's Kingston office, 721 Broadway, Kingston NY 12401
When: Wednesday, August 28, 12:00 PM

Thursday, Aug. 29

ARKANSAS
Little Rock
What: Arkansas Gun Owners to Gather to Call on Senator Pryor to Support Common-Sense Background Checks
Where: McArthur Park, 601 East 9^th St, Little Rock, AR 72202
When: Thursday, August 29, 12:00 PM

MONTANA
Missoula
What: Montana Gun Owners to Gather to Call on Senator Baucus to Support Common-Sense Background Checks
Where: 280 East Front St, Suite 100, Missoula, MT 59802
When: Thursday, August 29, 12:00 PM

NEVADA
Las Vegas
What: Nevada Gun Owners to Gather to Call on Senator Heller to Support Common-Sense Background Checks
Where: Senator Heller's office, 8930 West Sunset Road, Suite 230, Las Vegas NV 89148
When: Thursday, August 29, 3:00 PM

NEW HAMPSHIRE
Portsmouth
What: New Hampshire Gun Owners to Gather to Call on Senator Ayotte to Support Common-Sense Background Checks
Where: 2 Congress St, Portsmouth, NH 03801 (Market Square)
When: Thursday, August 29, 12:00 PM

NEW JERSEY
Mays Landing
What: New Jersey Gun Owners to Gather to Call on Rep. LoBiondo to Support Common-Sense Background Checks
Where: 5914 Main St, Suite 103, Mays Landing, NJ 08330 (Across from Memorial Park)
When: Thursday, August 29, 1:00 PM

OREGON
Clackamas
What: Gun Owners Roundtable to Support Expanding Background Checks
Where: Creator Lutheran Church, 13250 SE Sunnyside Rd., Clackamas, OR 97015
When: Thursday, August 29, 12:00 PM

TEXAS
Houston
What: Texas Gun Owners to Gather to Call on Rep. Greene to Support Common-Sense Background Checks
Where: 206 North Sam Houston Parkway East, Suite 29, Houston, TX 77060
When: Thursday, August 29, Time TBD

WASHINGTON
Vancouver
What: Survivors and Gun Owners come together at Phone Bank to ask Rep. Herrera Beutler to support Background Checks
Where: 2712 NW 142^nd Circle, Vancouver, WA 98685
When: Thursday, August 29, 4:00 PM

Friday, Aug. 30

MINNESOTA
Eden Prairie
What: Minnesota Gun Owners to Gather to Call on Rep. Paulsen to Support Common-Sense Background Checks
Where: 250 Prairie Center Drive, Eden Prairie, MN 55344
When: Friday, August 30, 10:30 AM

OHIO
Columbus
What: Ohio Gun Owners to Gather to Call on Senator Portman to Support Common-Sense Background Checks
Where: 37 West Broad St, Columbus, OH
When: Friday, August 30, 12:00 PM

About Mayors Against Illegal Guns
Since its creation in April 2006, Mayors Against Illegal Guns has grown from 15 members to more than 1,000 mayors from across the country. The coalition has more than 1.5 million grassroots supporters, making it the largest gun violence prevention advocacy organization in the country. Co-chaired by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, Mayors Against Illegal Guns 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  

MEDIA CONTACTS
Kate Downen: [email protected] or 406-224-5056
Jack Warner: [email protected] or 646-324-8246

SOURCE Mayors Against Illegal Guns