Everytown Action Fund Invests Additional $1 Million To Support Initiative 594, Washington State Ballot Measure To Close Background Check Loophole That Will Help Reduce Gun Violence

SEATTLE, Oct. 9, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund today announced it will spend one million dollars to support the Yes on 594 campaign, Washington State's ballot measure to reduce crime and help save lives by closing the background check loophole. The National Rifle Association is working to defeat I-594 and recently released videos filled with lies about background checks including the claim that background checks will not reduce crime or prevent gun violence.  Research shows that in states that require background checks for all handgun sales, 38 percent fewer women are shot to death by intimate partners, 39 percent fewer law enforcement officers are killed with handguns, and there is 48 percent less gun trafficking.

This is the second million-dollar investment in the Yes on 594 campaign from Everytown, the largest gun violence prevention organization in the country with more than 38,000 donors and more than two million supporters. In Washington State, Everytown includes more than 59,000 Washington State supporters and 29 mayor members, many of whom are working to pass the ballot measure. 

"When it comes to gun safety this election, the Washington that matters most is Washington State," said John Feinblatt, President of Everytown for Gun Safety. "It's the only place in the country where voters will have an up-or-down vote on background checks, which we've been fighting for in DC and states across the country. I-594 also represents new ground in the fight for this crime-reducing and life-saving public safety measure – taking it straight to the voters. That's why we're happy to support the Yes on 594 campaign and close the loophole that makes it easy for criminals and other dangerous people to get guns, no questions asked."

"We are grateful for Everytown's contribution to the Yes on 594 campaign and their commitment to stand with the overwhelming majority of Washington voters who already support this common-sense safety measure," said Zach Silk, Campaign Manager for the Yes on 594 Campaign. "Everytown, along with thousands of donors from all walks of life, joins us in our hard work to reduce gun violence in Washington State—and with ballots dropping into mailboxes next week, we will use these resources to make the case to Washington voters that we can reduce crime and help save lives this November."

About Everytown for Gun Safety

Everytown for Gun Safety is a movement of Americans fighting for common-sense policies that will reduce gun violence and save lives. Everytown is the largest gun violence prevention organization in the country with more than two million supporters and more than 38,000 donors including moms, mayors, survivors, and everyday Americans who are fighting for reforms that respect the Second Amendment and protect people. At the core of Everytown are Mayors Against Illegal Guns, founded in 2006 by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former Boston Mayor Tom Menino, and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, a grassroots movement of American mothers founded on the day after Newtown. Learn more at www.everytown.org and follow us @Everytown

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SOURCE Everytown for Gun Safety