Mayor Menino, Senators Warren and Markey, Members of Congress, and Families of Gun Violence Victims to Rally in Boston to Urge Support for Background Checks

Participants Set To Urge Congress To Pass Tough-On-Crime Background Checks Legislation, Thank Mayor Menino for Leadership in National Fight To Reduce Gun Violence

**MEDIA AND EVENT ADVISORY**

Rally is Part of "No More Names: National Drive to Reduce Gun Violence" Bus Tour; www.NoMoreNames.org

BOSTON, Aug. 28, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Wednesday, August 28th, Mayor Thomas M. Menino, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, members of the state's congressional delegation, Massachusetts members of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, local families of gun violence victims, law enforcement, and faith leaders will hold a rally at Faneuil Hall as part of the "No More Names: National Drive to Reduce Gun Violence" – a 25-state national bus tour over a period of 100 days aimed at urging America's leaders to support common-sense gun policies.

Participants will come together Wednesday to voice their support for comprehensive background checks, and they will urge Congress to take another look at bipartisan background checks legislation that would help keep guns out of the wrong hands. They will also thank Mayor Menino – a national co-chair of Mayors Against Illegal Guns since 2006 – for his leadership in helping to reduce gun violence in Boston and across the country.

It remains far too easy for criminals, domestic abusers, the seriously mentally ill, and other dangerous individuals – people who know they can't pass a background check – to skirt the law and obtain guns by purchasing them online or at gun shows, where background checks are not required under federal law. Bipartisan legislation sponsored by NRA A-rated Senators Joe Manchin and Pat Toomey – and supported by a majority of U.S. senators, including Senator Warren – would have closed this dangerous loophole by extending background checks to cover private gun sales in commercial settings. But in April, a minority of senators voted to block this common-sense measure.  

The rally is being organized by Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a bipartisan coalition of more than 1,000 mayors and 1.5 million grassroots supporters nationwide – including 30 members and more than 51,000 supporters in Massachusetts. Every day, 33 Americans are murdered with guns in this country. "No More Names: National Drive to Reduce Gun Violence" is part of Mayors Against Illegal Guns' ongoing, national effort to continue raising awareness to the issue of gun violence in America – and most importantly, to urge elected officials to prioritize the safety of the people they represent.

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 – including more than 51,000 in Massachusetts – making us the largest gun violence prevention advocacy organization in the country. The bipartisan organization, 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.

CONTACTS
Alex Katz: [email protected] or 646-324-8245
Emilee Ellison: [email protected] or 617-635-4461

SOURCE Mayors Against Illegal Guns