Sister of Newtown Victim, Survivor of Tucson Mass Shooting, Faith Leaders, and Advocates to Gather in Fargo to Urge Senator Heidi Heitkamp to Support Common-Sense Background Checks

Heitkamp Voted Against Bipartisan Background Checks Bill That Would Keep Guns Out of Wrong Hands, Even Though 94 Percent of North Dakotans Support Background Checks

***MEDIA AND EVENT ADVISORY***

July 29^th Event is Part of "No More Names: National Drive to Reduce Gun Violence" Bus Tour;

www.NoMoreNames.org

SOUTH FARGO, N.D., July 25, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Monday, July 29th, the sister of a victim of the Newtown massacre, a survivor of the 2011 Tucson mass shooting, faith leaders, and local gun violence prevention advocates will gather in Fargo 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 Monday to voice their continued support for comprehensive and enforceable background checks, and they will urge Senator Heidi Heitkamp to reconsider her position on this life-saving measure and take another look at bipartisan background checks legislation.

They will also read the names of victims of gun violence from across the country who have been killed since the Newtown massacre in December 2012.

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 would have closed this dangerous loophole by extending background checks to commercial gun sales. But Senator Heitkamp was part of a minority of U.S. senators who voted to block this sensible legislation, despite the fact that 94 percent of North Dakotans support background checks for all gun sales.  

The event 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 more than 2,000 in North Dakota.

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. We have more than 1.5 million grassroots supporters – including more than 2,000 in North Dakota – 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

CONTACTS
Alex Katz: [email protected] or 212-788-7617
Stacey Radnor: [email protected] or 202-870-6668
Kayla Keller: [email protected] or 281-682-6212

SOURCE Mayors Against Illegal Guns