WHO WE ARE
Moms Demand Action was founded by stay-at-home mom Shannon Watts on December 15, 2012, in response to the devastating shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. The organization quickly flourished into a leading force for gun violence prevention, with chapters in all 50 states and a powerful grassroots network of moms that has successfully effected change at the local, state and national level. In December 2013, Moms Demand Action partnered with Mayors Against Illegal Guns to unite a nationwide movement of millions of Americans working together to change the game and end the epidemic of gun violence that affects every community.
WHAT WE STAND FOR
Moms Demand Action supports the 2nd Amendment, but we believe common-sense solutions can help decrease the escalating epidemic of gun violence that kills an American child every 3 hours and 15 minutes. Whether the gun violence happens in urban Chicago, suburban Virginia, or rural Texas, we must act now on new and stronger gun laws and policies to protect our children.
Moms Demand Action envisions a country where all children and families are safe from gun violence. Our nonpartisan grassroots movement is made up of more than 130,000 members and a chapter in every state across the country. We are educating, motivating, and mobilizing moms and families to take action that will result in stronger laws and policies to save lives. We support these solutions to help address gun violence in the United States:
Require background checks for all gun and ammunition purchases;
Ban assault weapons and ammunition magazines that hold more than 10 rounds;
Track the sale of large quantities of ammunition, and ban online sales;
Establish product safety oversight of guns and ammunition, and require child-safe gun technology;
Support policies at companies and public institutions that promote gun safety;
Counter the gun industry's efforts to weaken gun laws at the state level.
We are facing a public health crisis: Nearly eight American children are shot and killed every day. Anything else responsible for this many deaths would be immediately investigated and regulated. Not a single federal law has been passed in decades to prevent gun violence -- not after Columbine and not after Newtown.
For too long, those who stand to profit from easy access to guns have controlled the conversation about gun violence. American families are being destroyed and mothers have had enough; we will no longer stand by and let Congress, companies and colleges turn their back on sensible gun laws and policies. We are organizing to effectively lobby and apply pressure that will result in stronger, sensible gun laws and policies that will protect our children and families. The momentum is with us, and we are in this for the long haul.
American mothers are an important voice that, when harnessed, will wield significant change. We may be accidental activists, but we are the wave of change in America. For more information on joining, volunteering, finding a local chapter or donating, please go to www.momsdemandaction.org. We can be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MomsDemandAction and on Twitter at @momsdemand.
