Moms Demand Action, Everytown Flex Grassroots Muscle To Defeat The NRA’s Dangerous Agenda

“Concealed Carry Reciprocity” has long been the dream of NRA lobbyists.
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The National Rifle Association’s leaders spent more than $30 million to help elect Donald Trump. Now, they’re looking for a return on their investment.

Earlier this year, we announced that for the first time, Everytown for Gun Safety would score any Congressional vote on the NRA’s top legislative priority – so-called “Concealed Carry Reciprocity” – and spend whatever it takes both to defeat this dangerous proposal and hold the gun lobby’s allies accountable.

“Concealed Carry Reciprocity” has long been the dream of NRA lobbyists. For the rest of us, however, it would put our safety at risk. “Concealed Carry Reciprocity” would force every state to recognize and accept the concealed carry standards of every other state, no matter how weak or nonexistent those standards may be. Put another way: It would effectively turn the weakest state’s laws into nationwide laws, making the weakest link the law of the land.

If that sounds like a recipe for chaos, that’s because it is. Many of the nation’s top law enforcement organizations have come out against “Concealed Carry Reciprocity.” And polls show the American public doesn’t support it, either.

That’s why Everytown and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America – together the counterweight to the NRA – are working overtime to defeat it.

Over the August congressional recess, Moms Demand Action volunteers and survivors of gun violence completed another phase of our full-force campaign against “Concealed Carry Reciprocity,” flexing our grassroots muscle and springing an army of volunteers into action in congressional districts all over the country.

After collecting more than 400,000 signed postcards from constituents, urging Congress to reject the NRA’s dangerous agenda, volunteers held in-person meetings and events with more than 200 members of Congress or their staff – Republicans and Democrats alike – to talk about how “Concealed Carry Reciprocity” would make their communities less safe.

Our grassroots volunteers held events from Washington to Florida and everywhere in between. For example, in Colorado, volunteers held a press conference outside Rep. Mike Coffman (R-CO)’s district office to make clear Coloradans disagree with his decision to cosponsor “Concealed Carry Reciprocity.” They held another press conference to hold Rep. Jason Lewis (R-MN) accountable for his support for the gun lobby. In New York and Illinois, volunteers met with Rep. Peter King (R-NY) and Brad Schneider (D-IL) to thank them for opposing “Concealed Carry Reciprocity.” Plus, our volunteers showed up wherever elected officials held town halls. They made thousands of phone calls to their congressional offices and wrote letters to their hometown newspapers, too.

Whether it’s taking on the gun lobby and winning in statehouses, or fighting back against its dangerous priorities in our nation’s capital, Everytown and Moms Demand Action know what it takes to defeat the NRA’s “guns everywhere, for everyone” agenda.

As we continue our all-out effort to stop “Concealed Carry Reciprocity,” we are once again sending a message to Washington and the NRA’s leadership: Everytown and Moms Demand Action will do, and spend, whatever it takes, including leveraging the full weight of our grassroots network, to defeat the gun lobby.

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