Father Of Virginia Tech Survivor, Mother Of Gun Violence Victim, Police Chief, And Local Advocates To Gather In Virginia Beach To Urge Congressman Rigell To Support Background Checks

***MEDIA AND EVENT ADVISORY***

Participants Will Call on Rigell to Co-Sponsor Bipartisan House Bill To Keep Guns Out of the Wrong Hand; 85 Percent of Rigell's Constituents Support Common-Sense Background Checks

Rally is Part of "No More Names: National Drive to Reduce Gun Violence" Bus Tour; www.NoMoreNames.org

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., Aug. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Tuesday, August 20th, the father of a survivor of the Virginia Tech shooting, a mother whose son was killed by gun violence in Newport News, Petersburg Chief of Police John Dixon, and local advocates will gather in Virginia Beach 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 Tuesday to voice their support for comprehensive background checks, and they will urge Congressman Scott Rigell to support bipartisan legislation in the U.S. House that would extend background checks to cover private gun sales in commercial settings. This past March, polling found that 85 percent of Rigell's constituents in Virginia's 2^nd Congressional District support common-sense background checks that would help keep guns out of the hands of felons, domestic abusers, the seriously mentally ill, and other dangerous individuals.

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 58,000 in Virginia. 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.

What:   Rally to support common-sense background checks and urge Congressman Rigell to support this tough-on-crime public safety measure

Who: 

• Andrew Goddard, advocate and father of Virginia Tech shooting survivor
• Jeanette Richardson, son Patrick McKinley was murdered with a gun in Newport News
• Petersburg Chief of Police John Dixon
• Kitty Utley, local advocate
• Gun violence prevention advocates

Where:     16^th Street Boardwalk 
                 Virginia Beach, Virginia 23451

When:      Tuesday, August 20^th at 11:00 a.m. ET

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 58,000 in Virginia – 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 646-324-8245
Stacey Radnor: [email protected] or 202-870-6668

SOURCE Mayors Against Illegal Guns

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