Bloomberg Gun Control Group Embarks on “Road Show” Campaign
OutdoorHub Reporters 09.23.14
Everytown for Gun Safety, the gun control group founded earlier this year by businessman and former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, announced on Tuesday that it will be embarking on a new midterm campaign including an eight-state roadshow and a media blitz. The group also announced a list of endorsements for candidates in the upcoming midterm elections, including Democratic and Republican candidates in both the US House and Senate.
“These are candidates who have shown leadership in the fight to keep our communities safe from gun violence both on the state and federal level,” John Feinblatt, President of Everytown, said in a press release.
The organization has been increasing their presence in a number of states, most notably Washington—where the group donated $1 million to an initiative known as I-594. That move has drawn the ire of the Washington-based gun rights group Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA), which supports an opposing initiative. CCRKBA chairman and well-known gun rights advocate Alan Gottlieb is a frequent critic of Everytown, claiming that well-funded gun control groups and their backers intend on “buying the November election.”
“It’s looking more like ‘Every Billionaire for Gun Control’ wants to buy this election,” Alan Gottlieb stated in a recent press release. “Voters should be very concerned when wealthy elitists like Bloomberg believe that their civil rights are for sale.”
Bloomberg vowed in April that he will be setting aside $50 million to help fund Everytown for Gun Safety and oppose the National Rifle Association (NRA), which reports a lobbying budget of $25 million annually. The billionaire—estimated to have a net worth of nearly $32 billion by Forbes—pledged that he will “outspend” the NRA in a fight for the hearts and minds of American voters. To that end, Everytown says its efforts will not be focused on Washington state alone. Along with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, the group will be visiting Connecticut, California, Illinois, Oregon, Maryland, Maine, and Minnesota over the next three weeks in a whirlwind “Gun Sense Voter” road show. A bevy of television commercials and testimonial ads will also be aired in local markets to support the organization list of endorsed candidates.
“This is the first time we’re mobilizing moms in this country to turn out and vote specifically on this issue,” said Shannon Watts, Founder of Moms Demand Action. “We’ve taken the fight to Congress, to statehouses, to corporations, and now we’re bringing this issue to the voting booth. Moms and women are going to vote to keep our communities safe from gun violence, in this election and in all elections ahead.”
The road show will also make a stop in Seattle, Washington to drum up support for I-594, which Gottlieb said is opposed by the majority of the state’s gun owners and police officers.
“The state’s largest and most respected law enforcement organizations, representing more than 7,500 rank-and-file officers, oppose I-594,” Gottlieb concluded.
