MEDIA AND EVENT ADVISORY: Survivors Of Gun Violence, Elected Officials, Gun Owners, And Advocates To Gather In Las Vegas To Back Common-Sense Gun Laws, Urge Senator Heller To Support Background Checks

Heller Voted Against the 86 Percent of Nevadans Who Support Background Checks; Participants to Call on Him to Take Another Look at Bipartisan Bill that Would Save Lives

July 8th Event is Part of "No More Names: National Drive to Reduce Gun Violence" Bus Tour; www.NoMoreNames.org

LAS VEGAS, Nev., July 8, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Monday, July 8th, survivors of gun violence, elected officials, local gun owners, and advocates will gather in Las Vegas 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 Monday to voice their continued support for comprehensive and enforceable background checks, and they will urge Senator Dean Heller to reconsider his position on this life-saving measure and take another look at bipartisan background checks legislation that will keep guns out of the wrong hands.

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 would have closed this dangerous loophole by extending background checks to commercial gun sales. But Senator Heller voted to block this sensible legislation, despite the fact that 86 percent of Nevadans support background checks for all gun sales.  

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 act on behalf of the people they represent.

What: Survivors of gun violence, elected officials, gun owners, and local advocates to gather in Las Vegas to voice support for common-sense background checks and urge Senator Heller to back this life-saving measure

Who:
- Stephen Barton, survivor of the 2012 Aurora movie theater shooting
- State Senator Justin Jones
- Esther Sass, sister-in-law of 2012 Empire State Building shooting victim
- Bob Cavazos, local gun owner
- Linda Cavazos, mental health professional
- Local advocates

Where:
Paradise Community Center and Water Park 
4775 S. McLeod (Cross Street: Tropicana)
Las Vegas, Nevada 89121

When:
Monday, July 8^th 
Press Conference Time: 10:00 a.m.

For interview requests in advance and on-site, please contact John Duckwitz at 540-878-1136.

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

MEDIA CONTACTS
Alex Katz: [email protected] or 212-788-7617
John Duckwitz: [email protected] or 540-878-1136 
Lizzie Ulmer: [email protected] or 269-271-2331 

SOURCE Mayors Against Illegal Guns

WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM?

440k+
Newsrooms &
Influencers

9k+
Digital Media
Outlets

270k+
Journalists
Opted In

GET STARTED