Sister of Newtown Victim, Faith Leaders, State Representative Bartlett, and Local Advocates to Hold Rally in Indianapolis to Urge Senator Coats to Support Common-Sense Background Checks

Coats Voted Against Background Checks Even Though 89 Percent of Hoosiers Support Them; Participants Set To Thank Senator Donnelly for Voting in Favor of Sensible Gun Legislation

***MEDIA AND EVENT ADVISORY***

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

INDIANAPOLIS, Aug. 7, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On Friday, August 9th, the sister of a victim of the Newtown massacre, faith leaders, State Representative John Bartlett, and local gun violence prevention advocates will gather at Douglas Park in Indianapolis 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 Senator Dan Coats 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 Joe Donnelly for supporting common-sense gun laws that help protect communities in Indiana 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 Joe Donnelly – would have closed this dangerous loophole by extending background checks to commercial gun sales. But Senator Coats voted to block this sensible legislation, despite the fact that 89 percent of Indiana residents 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 prioritize the safety of the people they represent.

For interview requests in advance and on-site, please contact Stacey Radnor at 202-870-6668.

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. With more than 1.5 million grassroots supporters – including more than 35,000 in Indiana – the coalition is 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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