MEDIA AND EVENT ADVISORY: Sister Of Newtown Victim, Gun Violence Survivor, Elected Officials, And Faith Leaders To Hold Rally In Cincinnati Urging Senator Portman To Support Common-Sense Background Checks

Portman Voted Against Background Checks Even Though 83 Percent of Ohioans Support Them; Participants Set To Thank Senator Brown for Voting in Favor of Sensible Gun Legislation

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

CINCINNATI, Aug. 8, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Saturday, August 10th, the sister of a victim of the Newtown massacre, a survivor of gun violence, Cincinnati City Councilmembers, faith leaders, and local gun violence prevention advocates will gather in Cincinnati 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 Saturday to voice their support for comprehensive background checks, and they will urge Senator Rob Portman to reconsider his position on this life-saving measure and take another look at bipartisan background checks legislation that would help keep guns out of the wrong hands. They will also thank Senator Sherrod Brown for supporting common-sense gun laws that help protect communities in Ohio and across the country.

It remains far too easy for criminals, domestic abusers, the seriously mentally ill, and other dangerous individuals – people who know they can't pass a background check – to skirt the law and obtain guns by purchasing them online or at gun shows, where background checks are not required under federal law. Bipartisan legislation sponsored by NRA A-rated Senators Joe Manchin and Pat Toomey – and supported by a majority of U.S. senators, including Sherrod Brown – would have closed this dangerous loophole by extending background checks to commercial gun sales. But Senator Portman was part of a minority of U.S. senators who voted to block this sensible legislation, despite the fact that 83 percent of Ohioans support background checks for all gun sales.  

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 81,000 in Ohio. 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 Senator Portman to reconsider his position on this tough-on-crime public safety measure

Who:   - Carlee Soto, sister Victoria was killed in the Newtown massacre

- Margaret Long, local gun violence survivor

- Councilmember Wendell Young, Cincinnati City Council

- Councilmember Pamula Thomas, Cincinnati City Council

- Kristine Woodworth, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America

- Pastor Lesley E. Jones, Truth & Destiny Covenant Ministries Fellowship United Church of Christ

Where:  Fountain Square
520 Vine Street
Cincinnati, Ohio

When: Saturday, August 10^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 81,000 in Ohio – 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
Lizzie Ulmer: [email protected] or 269-271-2331

SOURCE Mayors Against Illegal Guns

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