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*** Media Advisory***

AS CHILDREN RETURN TO SCHOOLAMERICANS WILL DELIVER PETITION-FILLED BACKPACKS CALLING ON CONGRESS TO SUPPORT BACKGROUND CHECKS

Nine Months After Sandy Hook School Shooting, Congress Has Yet to Take Action to Prevent Future Tragedies

Backpack Petition Deliveries in 13 States will Urge Members of Congress to Pass Legislation Requiring Background Checks as Supported by 90 Percent of Americans; Visit Online Petition Signed by Over 41,000 at maig.us/school

          As children across the country return to school this week, Americans in 13 states will deliver backpacks filled with petitions to Congressional offices, calling on them to support comprehensive, life-saving background checks on all commercial gun sales. This Wednesday and Thursday, petitions will be delivered to member offices in Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Montana, North Dakota, New Hampshire, New York, Nevada, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington. At each delivery, seven backpacks filled with signed petitions to represent the seven children and young people who are murdered with guns every day in America. Over 41,000 Americans have signed the Back-to-School Background Checks Petition. To sign, visit maig.us/school . . .

In the nine months since the Sandy Hook massacre that took the lives of 26 first graders and their teachers, Congress has yet to take action to pass legislation that will prevent future tragedies. This past April, the Senate voted on bipartisan background check legislation supported by NRA A-rated Senators Joe Manchin and Pat Toomey that would have helped keep guns out the wrong hands by extending background checks for all gun sales at gun shows and online. This common-sense measure failed, however, after it was blocked by a minority of senators. Corresponding bipartisan legislation in the U.S. House, sponsored by Congressmen Peter King and Mike Thompson, currently has more than 180 co-sponsors but has failed to receive support from a number of representatives nationwide.

Every day, 33 Americans are murdered with guns in America— and seven of those are children. The backpack petitions are part of a 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.

Petitions will be delivered to the offices of: Senators Mark Pryor (AR), Jeff Flake (AZ), Representatives Gary Miller (CA), Dennis Ross (FL), Max Baucus (MT), Heidi Heitkamp (ND), Kelly Ayotte (NH), Dean Heller (NV), Kurt Schrader (OR), Jim Gerlach (PA), Gene Green (TX), and Jaime Herrera Beutler (WA).

Backpack petition delivery events include (all times local):

ARKANSAS

What:             Backpack delivery of petitions and press conference urging Senator Pryor to support comprehensive, life-saving background checks on all gun sales.

Who:               Rev. Elliot Blocker

Pastor Terrance Long

William Branham

Daniel Layne

Where:           Senator Pryor’s Office

500 Clinton Ave. Ste. 401

Little Rock, AR

When:          Wednesday, September 4th 12:00pm

 

ARIZONA

What:             Backpack delivery of petitions and press conference urging Senator Flake to support comprehensive, life-saving background checks on all gun sales.

Who:               Pat Maisch, Tucson shooting survivor

Bill Badger, Tucson shooting survivor and gun owner

Suzi Hileman, Tucson shooting survivor

Caren Teves, mother of Aurora victim

Where:           Senator Flake’s Office

6840 North Oracle Road, Suite 150

Tucson AZ 85704

When:          Wednesday, September 4th 12:00pm

 

CALIFORNIA

What:             Backpack delivery of petitions and press conference urging Congressman Miller to support comprehensive, life-saving background checks on all gun sales.

Who:               Eric Arrington, former NFL player and gun violence survivor

Bobi Jo Chavarria, local activist

Stephanie Ann Overstreet, local activist

Agnes Gibboney, local activist

Where:           Congressman Miller’s Office

8300 Utica Avenue Suite 105

Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730

When:         Wednesday, September 4th 4:00pm

 

FLORIDA

What:             Backpack delivery of petitions and press conference urging Congressman Ross to support comprehensive, life-saving background checks on all gun sales.

Who:               CL Townsend (Gun Owner & NRA member) & Maggie Larguier (Moms Demand Action – Florida Chapter Leader), Brenda Kearse (Mother of a child killed by gun violence)

Where:            Congressman Ross’ Office

170 Fitzgerald Road Suite 1,

Lakeland, Florida 33813

When:                        Wednesday, September 4th 11:00am

 

MONTANA

What:             Backpack delivery of petitions and press conference urging Senator Baucus to support comprehensive, life-saving background checks on all gun sales.

Who:               Bob Waters, gun owner

                        Concerned Montanans

Where:           Senator Baucus’ Office

220 West Lamme Street, Suite 1D

Bozeman, MT 59715

When:  Wednesday, September 4th 12:00pm

 

NORTH DAKOTA

What:             Backpack delivery of petitions and press conference urging Senator Heitkmap to support comprehensive, life-saving background checks on all gun sales.

Who:               Mara Solberg, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America

Susan Beehler, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America

Pastor Peter Schmidt of Faith Lutheran Wells Fargo

Where:           Senator Heitkamp’s Office

Fargo Office 306 Federal Building

657 Second Avenue North

Fargo, ND

When:     Wednesday, September 4th 1:00pm

 

NEW HAMPSHIRE

What:             Backpack delivery of petitions and press conference urging Senator Ayotte to support comprehensive, life-saving background checks on all gun sales.

Who:               Judy Stadtman, survivor

Where:           Legislative Office Building

33 N. State Street

Concord, NH

When:           Wednesday, September 4th 11:00am

 

NEVADA

What:             Backpack delivery of petitions and press conference urging Senator Heller to support comprehensive, life-saving background checks on all gun sales.

Who:               Neil Heslin, father of Newtown victim

Amy Robinson, UNLV educator

Where:           Senator Heller’s Office

8930 West Sunset Road, Suite 230

Las Vegas, NV

When:             Wednesday, September 4th 11:30am

 

NEW YORK

What:             Backpack delivery of petitions and press conference urging Congressman Gibson to support comprehensive, life-saving background checks on all gun sales.

Who:               Darret Roberts, Gun Owner

Where:           Congressman Gibson’s Office

4328 Albany Post Road

Hyde Park, NY 12538

When:             Thursday, September 5th 12:00pm

 

OREGON

What:             Backpack delivery of petitions and press conference urging Congressman Schrader to support comprehensive, life-saving background checks on all gun sales.

Who:              Paul Kemp, brother-in-law of gun violence victim, gun owner

Jenna Passalacqua, daughter of Clackamas mall shooting victim

Roger Fletcher, gun owner for background checks

Tom O’Connor, gun owner for background checks

Where:           Congressman Schrader’s Office

621 High Street

Oregon City, OR 97045

When:          Wednesday, September 4th 12:15pm

 

PENNSYLVANIA

What:             Backpack delivery of petitions and press conference urging Congressman Gerlach to support comprehensive, life-saving background checks on all gun sales.

Who:               Shawn Kraemer, mother

Starr Cummin Bright, gun violence survivor, gun owner

Christine Licata, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America

Maureen Buckley, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America

Where:           Congressman Gerlach’s Office

111 East Uwchlan Avenue

Exton, PA 19341

When:             Wednesday, September 4th 2:00pm

 

TEXAS

What:             Backpack delivery of petitions and press conference urging Congressman Green to support comprehensive, life-saving background checks on all gun sales.

Who:               Stephanie Lundy, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America

Where:             Congressman Green’s Office

11811 I-10 East, Suite 430

Houston, TX 77029

When:             Wednesday, September 4th 2:00pm

 

WASHINGTON

What:             Backpack delivery of petitions and press conference urging Congresswoman Herrera Beutler to support comprehensive, life-saving background checks on all gun sales.

Who:               Jennifer Sprague, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America,

Stan Stumbo, father of a survivor of gun violence, gun owner, former NRA member

Where:           Congresswoman Herrera-Beutler’s Office

O.O. Howard House, Officers’ Row

750 Anderson Street, Suite B

Vancouver WA 98661

When:           Wednesday, September 4th 11:30am

 

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

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62 COMMENTS

        • And Losing everywhere else. And it won’t be too long before CA is challenged. Once CA is taken, NY will be a lone bastion of Anti-Gun Paranoia.
          And with no support from anywhere else, seeing as his MAIG Mayors are abandoning him, Bloominidiot will fade away.

    • Nothing according to Feinstein, Biden and every other leftist voice. But dammit man it’s principle on the left that we do something, no matter what!!! No more questions or B.O. will take you out with his military cause you and Kenny Loggins are in the DANGER ZONE!!!!

  1. Their lying is pathetic and their tactics are laughable, but we cannot sleep on these people. They are a real danger to our freedom. I don’t believe this backpack campaign will have the effect they intend, however, it does show they are well organized and motivated to take our freedom. I’m watching these mommies carefully…who knows, some of them might be hot.

    • For what its worth, it happened an hour and a half ago in my state and I can’t find anything about it on the local news sites. Looks like this event is passing with the notice it deserves. At least here it is.

  2. What I want to know is how they picked their targets.

    Their Florida target is Congressman Dennis Ross. Ross is a two term Republican Congressman in a mostly rural district that, except for a two year Democratic sojourn in 1993-1995, has voted solidly Republican since 1983. Ross has a 92% “A” rating from the NRA, and a 100% “A+” rating from Gun Owners of America. This guy is going to be responsive to their crap when Florida sinks into the ocean. They might as well have just dropped those backpacks into the Gulf of Mexico.

    • Hmm, Jim Gerlach (R, PA-6, NRA A-rating) is in a pretty purple district, so before you wrote that I would have guessed this was about putting pressure on people they thought were vulnerable. Now I don’t know what to think, unless they are choosing people based on where they have operatives in place.

  3. Honestly, 41k signatures is very low. Didn’t they get over 100k demanding the US government build a Death Star?

  4. 41,000 huh? We got more signatures than that in support of a kid in Birmingham MI for carrying an m1carbine around town and then basically telling the cops off for even asking him to show ID!
    (He beat all charges and is now suing the cops btw)

    If that’s all they can get it isn’t even worth the paper they used.

  5. I just wrote my Congressman, Gary Miller, (on the list above) expressing my disapproval of his support for this MAIG/MDA “Event” he’s hosting in his Local Office here in California. Not that it will do any good, but now he knows he has lost my Vote permanently, and “Yes”, I have voted for him in two previous elections as his record for Second Amendment Support was good up until now…The Schwein Hund!

    • Derry, your Congressman Miller isn’t “hosting” the event, and has done nothing to lose your vote. MAIG chose him for their stunt, he didn’t have any choice in the matter. If they’re his constituents, it’s not like he can simply refuse to see them. Well, he probably could, but most won’t. He does, after all, represent everyone, even those that he disagrees with.

      I didn’t check all of them, but it wouldn’t surprise me if most or all the Congresscritters on the list above are Republicans. As I noted, the guy they chose in Florida is a Republican with “A” ratings from both NRA and GOA.

      • Hi Matt in FL. First, thanks for your comment and information. As usual, your thoroughness clarifies the situation and I appreciate it very much. It was a shock to me that Congressman Miller had anything to do with this, but I do understand how he might feel unable to refuse MAIG and MDA when represented by one or more of his constituents, and I do accept your assertion he was not actually “hosting” the event, but that it was forced upon him.
        I will see if and how he responds to me, and share it here, if timely. Telling him I would never Vote for him again was, admittedly, a threat to get a response/explanation. Congressman Miller is a Republican, 31st District and has maintained an NRA Rating of “A” right along, which was a major reason I voted for him. Maybe these guys need to start refusing having these anti-gun “events” foisted upon them. Miller wins re-election easily, so if he pisses a few liberal constituents off it might be better for him to show some “cojones” in the future.
        Thanks, again, for the information!

  6. I have a feeling that congress is going to be a bit too busy for such things very soon if things keep going the way they’re going.

  7. So…if 90% of Americans support this effort, and there are 41,000 signatures, that means there are 45,555 Americans.

    • They must all live within 5 miles of my house then, because traffic today is crazy. I didn’t realize that 99.9% of US Soil was uninhabited.

      • Well, technically, its inhabited by freedom loving, bible (or other holy book) clutching patriotic Americans who just want to be left alone to live their lives without interference from the “elite” in the big coastal cities. But then again, from their perspective, it might just as well be uninhabited.

  8. I don’t know what they could accomplish in NY. Talk about beating a dead horse. Too many soap bubble guns left? Million Moms and Mayors Without a Clue.

  9. In reading the release, they say “…calling on them to support comprehensive, life-saving background checks on all commercial gun sales”

    Correct me if I’m wrong, but given that any _commercial_ gun sale has to go through an FFL, what they’re asking for is already the status quo.

    • It’s certainly VERY weird that they put the word “commercial” in there. It also made me pause and kinda say, “WTF?” Because, yes, what they’re actually pushing for is requiring background checks on all private sales. ALL ‘commercial’ sales are already subject to them per Federal Law, no exceptions (no ‘internet’ exception, no gun show exception). This group usually just says “background checks on ALL gun sales or transfers” and all of the sudden they’re qualifying it somehow??? Weird.

  10. Has anyone actually done any product testing on those backpacks? I am not trying to sound flippant or callous but if some parent actually trusts one of these and their kid get shot will there be a lawsuit?

    • There are videos on YouTube and such. They are marketed as “bullet resistant,” so that’s a CYA right there. They are also rated IIIA and clearly state the calibers they’re rated for, which is most handgun calibers only (meaning not the scary black “military style” “assault rifles” that the anti’s are so incensed by). At least this is from the company that’s pictured in the post. There are other companies offering similar things. Some whole backpacks, some just inserts that you slide into a backpack, which is really what Bullet Blocker is actually doing.

  11. in my experience, a couple of text books will stop the majority of pistol cartridges. Haven’t really tried rifle, but i imagine that they would not be so successful.

  12. The EEOC says: background checks are discriminatory. Over half of the records are for unlawful immigration. 20% are felons or fugitives, most of those are nonviolent offenses. Does a path to citizenship and decriminalizing drugs mean people get their gun rights back?

  13. 7 kids per day? Does this include those over 18 but under 22? What about 16 and 17 year old gang bangers?

    Someone needs to prove their math wrong and kill their credibility

    • I think they go up to mid 20’s.

      “Someone needs to prove their math wrong and kill their credibility.”

      Man, if their credibility isn’t destroyed by now, I’m not sure what it would take.

  14. I’m in favor of background checks for every member of MAIG and Moms Demand Money.

    I have a feeling that plenty of them would fail.

  15. Too bad increased background checks wouldn’t have done a thing to prevent Columbine, VA Tech, the Gifford’s shooting, Newtown or any of the other insane mass killings. The mentally deranged killers either passed the background check or obtained their weapons by murder and or theft.

  16. I’m glad that Rhode Island isn’t on the list. And the funny thing is, these backpacks were originally being sold to the concealed carry/prepper/libertarian families…

    • They aren’t dropping off bullet proof backpacks. That’s just an image TTAG chose to use for this post (at least I’m like 99% sure). No way would they spend the money to drop off 91 of those $200-$400 backpacks. The press release only says “backpacks” and surely if they were bulletproof ones they would have made a deal out of it.

  17. I think we should send MAIG to Syria to see what they can do there. They could change their name to Mayors Against Illegal Gas…

    Seroiusly, I think it’s telling that MAIG and MDA (NOT the Muscular Dystrophy Association) need to combine forces to thrust the [possibly many bogus] signatures both groups collected on unsuspecting elected officials.

    They’re losing ground and they know it. I wonder how often those “signatures” have been reused?

    • They are struggling to stay in the “conversation” as the democrats are politely ignoring their groups until after the 2014 elections. I think the dems, for all their rhetoric and attempts the to convince themselves, are scared that they overplayed their hand and are looking at another 1994 on their hands. They’re hoping to keep the “gun violence” coverage in the media, but keep their names out of it until after the 2014 elections so they can test the waters. If they loose big in 2014, expect Uncle Joe to drop the issue as he continues his 2016 campaign. Hilary on the other hand is keeping pretty quiet and is having her faux husband do the talking. The Clinton’s still remember why the dems lost congress in 94. That makes her even more dangerous, especially if the GOP runs another weak candidate against her in 2016.

  18. Is it their mission to end ALL forms of deadly violence or just the minor cause of deadly violence that is GUN VIOLENCE? Are they wanting to take just the nasty bug out of the cesspool or the whole cesspool? I think they believe that if they take out just the nasty bug from the cesspool the whole pool will be nice and clean. “It’s a start”.

    • It’s really all about $$$$$ in the final analysis. With some ego stroking mixed in to keep things interesting.

  19. This is just so idiotic. Have any of these people ever tried to buy a gun without a background check? You cannot do it. They have built their entire case around something that IS NOT HAPPENING. Let me repeat that. ANY OF YOU MOTHERS JUST TRY TO BUY A GUN WITHOUT A BACKGROUND CHECK! YOU CAN’T DO IT. ALREADY. There is nothing more that another silly law can accomplish. And now, you think that criminals walk into stores and buy their guns? Are you frigging insane? They get them on the black market, where no background check LAW is going to be enforced anyway. So exactly what do you think you’re accomplishing?

    • Making it harder for peaceful, law abiding citizens to own guns is the only purpose that makes any sense.

      There is a pretty solid (negative) correlation between strictness of gun laws (Brady score) in the US and rate of legal firearm ownership. Of course, that’s a bit of a chicken and egg question: Fewer gun owners because the laws are strict, or passage of strict laws because there are few people that care about owning guns?

      Either way, though there is a correlation between strictness of gun laws and rate of legal ownership, there is no correlation between number of legally owned guns and rate of gun murders, nor between strictness of gun laws and rate of gun murders. Thus, the only possible purpose of passing stricter gun laws is to reduce the number of weapons in the hands of peaceful, law-abiding citizens (as we already knew).

      • “Making it harder for peaceful, law abiding citizens to own guns is the only purpose that makes any sense.”

        Oh, it makes perfect “sense” to them. Their lords and masters want absolute control, and they’re turning over control to the L&M by the shovelful.

    • Telling them that every one of those mass shootings by lunatics has taken place in a gun-controlled area has always fallen on deaf ears.

      I wonder if it’d be worth the bother to superimpose a map of the locations where those “33 Americans are murdered with guns in America” on top of a map of strong gun control law areas? ‘Cause it’d probably do as much good as reminding them of paragraph 1 above has done.

  20. City with extremely high gun control measures: CHICAGO. Average number of people SHOT PER DAY in CHICAGO in 2011, 2012, and 2013 thus far: 6. Average number of HOMICIDES with guns PER DAY in CHICAGO in 2011, 2012, and 2013 thus far: 1.3. Tell me why gun control needs spread?

  21. would it be in poor taste to buy one of these, riddle it with through-n-through’s, some fake blood stains, hang it on the corner of my yard with a sign that says…
    “Bulletproof backpack…. yea, didn’t work.”

  22. Well at least they got the “with” guns part right. But they still have a maniacally obsessive focus on the firearms themselves. Perhaps they’re on the verge of admitting they are ignoring the root of the problem to service their irrational fear of steel and plastic. Well, optimism may feel good now, but pessimism seems to pay off in the long run more often.

  23. WOW Newtown managed to get gun control laws passed as there kids were brutally murdered they were paling up with the president and one of the MOMS husband was a FELON. IMAGINE THAT. They also caused 55 Million in new taxes in the state and caused hundreds of jobs lost because tuns of businesses left the state. They further more interview several liberal media stations and news outlets and had the nerve to tell them 90% of the gun crime in CT was dun by felons that could not own guns and obtain them ILLEGALLY. To the people of CT we hate the NEWTOWN PHONIES. They think they are special until one day they need a GUN to defend themselves. The Newtown BULLIES managed to destroy the lives of MILLIONS OF GUN OWNERS because they had no one else to blame. They are a sick bunch of PUPPIES!!!

  24. Not to sound like a wiseass, but if you look historically, the perpetrator of every presidential assassination from Lincoln up to the most recent mass shootings in Sandy Hook & Aurora have all been registered Democrats or left wing Socialists. So if you want to enact some of this so called “common sense” legislation, impose these extreme background checks, registrations or what not on Democrats. Best yet, just make it illegal for Democrats to own firearms and there would be no assassinations or mass shootings, with history as our benchmark. (Insert dripping sarcasm “liberally” throuout this comment)

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