Mayor Ryan, City Councilmembers, Families Of Binghamton Shooting Victims, Local Leaders And Advocates To Gather In Binghamton To Urge New York Lawmakers To Support Background Checks

Participants Will Call on New York Lawmakers to Co-Sponsor Bipartisan House Bill To Keep Guns Out of the Wrong Hands; 90 Percent of Americans Support Common-Sense Background Checks

***MEDIA AND EVENT ADVISORY***

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

BINGHAMTON, N.Y., Aug. 29, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Friday, August 30th Mayor Matthew Ryan, City Council woman Lea Webb, families of Binghamton shooting victims, local leaders and local advocates will gather in Binghamton 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 Friday to voice their support for comprehensive background checks and they will urge New York lawmakers to support bipartisan legislation that would extend background checks to cover private gun sales in commercial settings. Additionally, participants are gathering as a remembrance to honor the lives of the victims, the survivors and the families of those affected by the 2009 Binghamton shootings at the American Civic Association immigration center. The event will thank Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand for voting in favor of bipartisan background checks legislation in April, and urge the rest of Congress – including Representatives Richard Hanna, Chris Gibson, and Tom Reed-- to support this life-saving measure.

This past March, polling found that New Yorkers 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; 94 percent of Congressman Chris Gibson's constituents in New York's 19th Congressional District and 94 percent of Congressman Tom Reed's constituents in New York's 23rd Congressional District. Nationwide, 90 percent of Americans support this life-saving measure as well.

This past April, Senators Schumer and Gillibrand stood with New Yorkers and voted to support bipartisan background checks legislation sponsored by NRA A-rated Senators Joe Manchin and Pat Toomey that would have helped keep guns out of the wrong hands by extending background checks to cover private gun sales in commercial settings. The bill failed, however, after it was blocked by a minority of senators. Corresponding legislation in the U.S. House, sponsored by Congressmen Peter King (R-NY) and Mike Thompson (D-CA), currently has more than 180 co-sponsors but has failed to receive support from Congressmen Hanna, Gibson, and Reed.

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 119,000 in New York. 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 urge New York lawmakers to support common-sense life saving background checks and remembrance event to honor the victims of the 2009 Binghamton shooting. 

Who: -Mayor Matthew Ryan of Binghamton
-Binghamton City Councilwoman Lea Webb
-Georgia Lerner, her mother, Roberta King was killed in the 2009 Binghamton shooting
-Edwin Steplight, NAACP New York State Branch President
-Carole Coppens, Executive Director of the Binghamton YWCA
-Local Advocates

Where: Recreation Park
Beethoven Street
Binghamton, NY 13905

When: Friday, August 30th 10:00 AM

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.

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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