Police Chief Refutes Sen. Ayotte's False Claim That She Supports Background Checks in New Hampshire TV Ad Out Today

NEW YORK, June 4, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Mayors Against Illegal Guns today announced a new television ad featuring Police Chief Scott Knight that refutes recent claims from Senator Kelly Ayotte that she supports background checks even though she voted against the only bill that would have improved the background check system. Instead, Ayotte voted for a decoy bill created by the gun lobby that would have weakened the system by making it easier for the dangerously mentally ill to get guns. 

Last month, Senator Ayotte voted against the Manchin-Toomey background check bill – the only bill that would have required background checks for commercial gun sales and improved the background check system. Now facing heavy backlash from the 89 percent of New Hampshire voters that support background checks, Senator Ayotte and the NRA gun lobby claim her vote for a decoy bill created by the gun lobby—called the Safe Communities, Safe Schools Act of 2013 and commonly known as the Grassley-Cruz amendment—was a vote for background checks. This is patently false: while Manchin-Toomey would have kept guns out of dangerous hands, Grassley-Cruz would actually weaken the system and put more guns in the hands dangerous people. 

Grassley-Cruz:

• Doesn't close the private sale loophole that allows felons, domestic abusers, and severely mentally ill people to avoid background checks simply by shopping online or at gun shows. The private sale loophole allows 6.6 million guns to be sold each year without background checks. Criminals routinely exploit this private sale loophole: Nearly 80% of inmates who used a handgun in their crimes acquired the gun in a private transfer.
• Makes it easier for the severely mentally ill people to buy guns, including people who have been involuntary committed to mental hospitals.
• Cuts funding that helps states strengthen the background check system by getting more relevant records into the system.

On the other hand, the Manchin-Toomey bill Ayotte voted against would help keep guns out of the hands of criminals by requiring all gun buyers in commercial settings—including online and at gun shows—to face background checks. Manchin-Toomey would have also strengthened the existing background check system by ensuring that state mental health records are entered into the system, removing hurdles to state-level reporting of mental health records, and requiring federal courts to submit critical mental health records. More information on Senator Ayotte's votes against background checks is available here. 

The new ad, entitled "False Alibi," begins airing in the Manchester and Boston media markets this week and can be viewed at www.DemandAction.org/Ayotte. It follows three previous TV ads run by Mayors Against Illegal Guns reminding Americans that Ayotte voted against public safety. For interviews with Chief Scott Knight, who is featured in the ad, media may contact Sandra Torres at torres@homefrontdc.com or 202-216-8950.

Script of the ad and corresponding screen text is below:

About Mayors Against Illegal Guns

Since its creation in April 2006, Mayors Against Illegal Guns has grown from 15 members to more than 950 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:
MAIG: Kate Downen: kdownen@maig.org or 406-224-5056
Media for Chief Knight: Sandra Torres: Sandra.Torres@homefrontdc.com or 202-216-8950

SOURCE Mayors Against Illegal Guns