Media Advisory: As Children Return To School, Florida Mayors Will Deliver Petition-Filled Backpacks Calling On Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen To Support Background Checks

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

Backpack Petition Delivery will Urge Rep. Ross to Pass Legislation Requiring Background Checks Supported by 94 Percent in Florida's 27^th District; Visit Online Petition Signed by Over 41,000 Nationwide at maig.us/school

MIAMI, Sept. 6, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As children across the country return to school this week, Florida Mayors Mayor Carlos Gimenez of Miami-Dade County, Cindy Lerner of Pinecrest, Shelley Stanczyk of Palmetto Bay and Philip Stoddard of South Miami will deliver backpacks filled with petitions to the office of Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, calling on her to support comprehensive, life-saving background checks on all commercial gun sales this Wednesday.  At the delivery, seven backpacks will be 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 Rep. Ros-Lehtinen and other elected officials to prioritize the safety of the people they represent.

Details of the event are below:

Florida

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

Who:
Mayor Philip Stoddard of South Miami 
Mayor Shelley Stanczyk of Palmetto Bay 
Mayor Carlos Gimenez of Miami-Dade County
Mayor Cindy Lerner of Pinecrest

Where:
Stephen P. Clark Government Center
111 Northwest 1^st Street, #2510 
Miami, FL 333128

When:
Friday, September 6^th 11:00am

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 117,000 in Florida – 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 Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America
Much like Mothers Against Drunk Driving was created to change laws regarding drunk driving, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America (www.momsdemandaction.org) was created to build support for common-sense gun reforms. The nonpartisan grassroots movement of American mothers is demanding new and stronger solutions to lax gun laws and loopholes that jeopardize the safety of our children and families. In just over eight months, the organization has more than 100,000 members with chapters in every state across the country.

CONTACTS
Mayors Against Illegal Guns
Kate Downen: [email protected] or 406-224-5056
Jack Warner: [email protected] or 646-324-8246

Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America
Kim Russell: [email protected] or 917-226-4420

SOURCE Mayors Against Illegal Guns

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