Granite Staters To Refute Sen. Ayotte And Gun Lobby's False Claim That She Supports Background Checks

Senator Ayotte Voted 'No' On The Only Bill That Would Have Required Background Checks for Commercial Gun Sales; Now Misleadingly Says She Voted to "Improve" Background Checks

89 Percent of New Hampshire Voters Support Background Checks, Will Tell Senator Ayotte That She Can't Have it Both Ways; www.DemandAction.org

*** Media Advisory***

CONCORD, N.H., May 16, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Thursday in Concord, concerned Granite Staters, Newtown shooting survivors, Mayors Against Illegal Guns and Granite State Progress will refute the latest claims from Senator Kelly Ayotte and the NRA that she supports background checks even though she voted against the only bill that would have improved the background check system. Instead, she voted for a decoy bill created by the gun lobby that would have weakened the system by making it easier for the dangerously mentally ill to get guns. 

Last month, Senator Ayotte voted against the Manchin-Toomey background check bill – the only bill that would have required background checks for commercial gun sales and improved the background check system. Now facing heavy backlash from the 89 percent of New Hampshire voters that support background checks, Senator Ayotte and the NRA gun lobby claim her vote for a bill created by the gun lobby and sponsored by Senators Chuck Grassley and Ted Cruz was a vote for background checks. This is patently false: while Manchin-Toomey would have kept guns out of dangerous hands, Grassley-Cruz would actually weaken the system and put more guns in the hands of the severely mentally ill. More information on Senator Ayotte's votes against background checks is available here. 

What: NH community leaders and gun violence survivors will tell Senator Ayotte that after voting against background checks, she can't also say that she voted to improve background checks

Who:  Neil Heslin, son Jesse was killed in Newtown
Gilles Rousseau, daughter was a teacher killed in Newtown
John Cantin of Manchester, daughter Missy was killed in murder-suicide; he was shot in the back
Judy Stadtman, local community advocate and co-founder of NH Project for Safer Communities 
Zandra Rice Hawkins, Granite State Progress                                                

Where:  Legislative Office Building 
33 North State Street 
Concord, NH

When:  Thursday, May 16 at 12:15 PM

About Mayors Against Illegal Guns
Since its creation in April 2006, Mayors Against Illegal Guns has grown from 15 members to more than 950 mayors from across the country. We have more than 1.5 million grassroots supporters, 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

About Granite State Progress
Granite State Progress is a progressive advocacy organization that addresses issues of immediate state and local concern. Granite State Progress works as a communications hub for the progressive community to provide a strong, credible voice in advancing progressive solutions to critical community problems.

MEDIA CONTACT
Zandra Rice Hawkins: [email protected] or 603-892-2150
Kate Downen: [email protected] or 406-224-5056

SOURCE Mayors Against Illegal Guns

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