April 13, 2017
Press Release
“After Virginia Tech, I dedicated my life to fighting for stronger gun laws. It has been a difficult road. In ten years, we have encountered challenges and heartbreak, but we have also seen positive change. We have seen gun violence prevention go from an issue no politician wants to talk about to an issue candidates build their campaigns around. The gun violence prevention movement has become more politically organized and impactful than ever, with more activists, donors, and volunteers joining the fight each day."
April 13, 2017
Press Release
“As the tenth anniversary of the massacre at Virginia Tech University nears, we recall then-President George W. Bush’s comforting words following the tragedy. President Bush -- no enemy of the gun lobby -- knew when to put politics aside and use the power of the presidency to speak to a wounded nation. When President Trump is faced with the next Virginia Tech, Aurora, Charleston, Newtown, or Orlando, will he be able to find the right words? Will he even care?”
April 11, 2017
Press Release
Domestic violence shooting at North Park Elementary School shows the danger of armed abusers — both for intended victims and the general public. San Bernardino, CA (April 11, 2017) — A shooting described as a murder-suicide unfolded Monday morning inside a San Bernardino elementary school. In what is thought to be a domestic dispute, a 53-year-old male …
Continue reading "CSGV Statement on North Park Elementary School Shooting"
April 7, 2017
Press Release
“Today, Governor Martinez failed the women of New Mexico by vetoing a bill that passed with bipartisan support. A woman's risk of being murdered by an abusive partner increases fivefold if there is a gun in the home, and abusers often use guns to intimidate their victims. By removing guns from domestic abusers, this law would have helped protect the lives of New Mexican women. Governor Martinez’s shameful veto of this life-saving bill implicitly denies the irrefutable link between guns and domestic violence.”
April 6, 2017
Press Release
“Trump and his NRA puppet-masters now have a reliable vote in Neil Gorsuch. This stolen seat was one that the gun lobby invested in, and NRA leaders now expect a return on that investment. Between their unprecedented obstruction of Merrick Garland and their willingness to fundamentally change the rules, Mitch McConnell and his unscrupulous colleagues have shown they will stop at nothing to give the NRA what they want.”
March 16, 2017
Press Release
“HR 1181 is a poorly written, irresponsible, half-baked piece of legislation that is essentially a blank check for the NRA. The language in this bill is so broad and confusing that its own sponsor cannot explain how it would work. It would put veterans who are at risk of suicide in danger, yet Republicans are scrambling to ram the bill through without consideration of these heroes’ lives."
March 15, 2017
Press Release
“Tonight, lawmakers in New Mexico took an important step to protect victims of domestic violence. We know that the chance of being murdered by an abusive partner increases fivefold if there is a gun in the home, and guns are often used to intimidate women into staying in abusive relationships.
March 8, 2017
Press Release
“If members of Congress are serious about combating the high number of veteran suicides, they did not show it today. Rather than working towards a bipartisan solution, Republicans are attempting to railroad intentionally vague legislation through Congress without an adequate hearing. Their ultimate goal seems to be the blanket restoration of gun rights regardless of whether or not these veterans are at a heightened risk of dangerousness. By rushing HR 1181, lawmakers show they are more interested in carrying water for the gun lobby than protecting the lives of American heroes.”
March 7, 2017
Press Release
For the third month in a row, newly released numbers from the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Checks System (NICS) show a decrease in background checks relative to the previous year. Only 1,203,438 checks on handgun, long gun, multiple, other, and private sales were performed in February 2017 compared to 1,383,373 in February 2016.
February 24, 2017
Press Release
“In the past, Wayne LaPierre has rallied NRA members by speaking of a tyrannical government coming to take away their guns. For a long time, that message worked. But now, with the NRA’s mouthpiece-in-chief installed as president, the NRA's number one target is the 'violent left' -- protesters who disagree with Trump's dangerous agenda. LaPierre characterized these Americans as 'anarchists, Marxists, and socialists' who hate 'everything America stands for.' In typical LaPierre fashion, he peppered his speech with violent imagery and equated American opposition to Trump with terrorism and treason. As Trump works to ‘deconstruct the administrative state,’ LaPierre is mobilizing his militia to support the Trump state. Political dissenters are now the target, but fear and divisiveness are still LaPierre's central message."
February 9, 2017
Press Release
"The 49 lives lost were mostly LGBTQ and hispanic individuals, two constituencies that feel left behind by this administration. They deserve better than to be exploited as talking points to support the President’s haphazard political agenda.”
February 8, 2017
Press Release
“The confirmation of Jeff Sessions as Attorney General makes America less safe. For years, Senator Sessions has voted in lockstep with the gun lobby’s extreme agenda and now he intends on bringing that agenda to the Justice Department.
January 31, 2017
Press Release
“While there is no paper trail of where Judge Gorsuch stands on guns, his selection by the NRA-backed Trump/Bannon White House certainly gives us a hint. If Gorsuch shares the NRA’s toxic ideology, he is already at odds with the overwhelming majority of Americans.”
January 31, 2017
Press Release
“While there is no paper trail of where Judge Gorsuch stands on guns, his selection by the NRA-backed Trump/Bannon White House certainly gives us a hint. If Gorsuch shares the NRA’s toxic ideology, he is already at odds with the overwhelming majority of Americans.”
January 7, 2017
Press Release
"While the facts are still emerging, policymakers across the nation should remember that there are legislative options to provide preventative tools to law enforcement and concerned family members. California and Washington state have recently enacted laws that allow courts to temporarily remove firearms from individuals displaying signs of dangerousness (Gun Violence Restraining Order in California and Extreme Risk Protection Order in Washington).
December 21, 2016
Press Release
“Congress continues to wring their hands while a record number of people are dying,” said Josh Horwitz, executive director of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. “The 20 percent increase in the gun homicide rate should serve as a sobering reality for Congress and the incoming Trump administration to come together to address our nation’s gun violence epidemic.”
November 9, 2016
Press Release
Yesterday’s election results further confirm public support for policies to reduce gun violence. In three of the four states where strong gun violence prevention initiatives were on the ballot, the measures passed. All of the measures were opposed by the National Rifle Association (NRA).
October 26, 2016
Press Release
If Hillary Clinton is elected to be the next President of the United States, the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence will have an ally in the White House who is committed to reducing gun deaths and injuries. She knows that 33,000 American lives lost to guns each year is not the price of freedom. Under a Clinton administration, the gun violence prevention movement will have a leader we can trust. Her historic candidacy has shown that she is serious about saving lives.
October 4, 2016
Press Release
“Nearly ten years ago my daughter was shot at Virginia Tech, less than 150 miles from where the candidates for Vice President spoke tonight. Following that horrific day in Blacksburg, I saw the leadership and compassion of then-Governor Tim Kaine as he vowed to do everything he could to ensure the lives lost that day were not in vain."
September 27, 2016
Press Release
“Secretary Clinton offered a clear vision for America that included strong gun violence prevention policies like universal background checks and reinstating a ban on assault weapons. Clinton proudly proclaimed, ‘We have to tackle the plague of gun violence’ during a spirited discussion on gun violence and race in America. Trump offered an incoherent mixed bag of policies.