Good News!

Six months after the deadliest mass shooting in Maine's history in Lewiston, state lawmakers passed life-saving gun safety bills into law.

These bills require background checks on advertised sales and gun show sales, increase funding for mental health resources, and require a 72-hour waiting period between the purchase and transfer of a firearm.

There's more work to do, but these new gun safety laws represent the kind of action lawmakers should be taking in response to gun violence in their communities—and we couldn't have made this progress without your support.

Because our volunteers in Maine and communities across the country are working every day to build a future free from gun violence.

From the Field: Moms Demand Action

Last month, Executive Director of Moms Demand Action Angela Ferrell-Zabala joined Vice President Harris and actress Xochitl Gomez in Las Vegas to discuss how Nevada communities are keeping students safe through secure storage resolution, mental health funding, and other aspects of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.

This landmark federal gun safety legislation was only possible because of our movement's unrelenting advocacy. Learn how the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act is already saving lives.

From the Field: Students Demand Action

Earlier this year, Idaho introduced a bill to let any school staff or volunteer who has a license to carry bring a gun on school grounds. So students took action: Student leaders, volunteers, and activists delivered a petition with 800+ signatures opposing this bill to their state legislators—and the bill was defeated.

Students deserve to go to school, learn in class, and be in a safe environment. But that's impossible when surrounded by loaded guns. To oppose more guns in schools, students are organizing, testifying, and walking out in communities across the country.

And if our representatives won't listen to us in State Houses when our lives are on the line, maybe they'll listen to us at the ballot box in November—when their jobs are on the line. Commit to vote for Gun Sense Candidates in this year's critical elections.

Courts & Litigation

Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court granted certiorari in Garland v. VanDerStok, which centers on a reckless lower court decision that would strike down portions of the Biden Administration's 2022 life-saving ghost gun rule.

Ghost guns are unserialized, untraceable firearms that can be easily put together in minutes, from parts acquired without a background check. They undermine our gun safety laws, pose unique risks to public safety, and are becoming the weapon of choice for criminals nationwide.

The Supreme Court should reverse the lower court's decision and allow the Department of Justice to protect innocent people from deadly ghost guns. Join our Courts Advocacy Team to be the first to know as this case develops.

Everytown in the News

In the last two weeks, bills arming teachers were passed in Iowa and Tennessee—and we've seen similar bills pop up this year in Louisiana, Georgia, Utah, Wyoming, Alaska, Idaho, South Dakota, Missouri, Nebraska, and West Virginia.

Our grassroots movement is mobilizing to keep guns out of our classrooms because, as Angela Ferrell-Zabala told Rolling Stone, "Expressing outrage for this is really important. The more that lawmakers hear from their constituents about how absolutely ridiculous this is, the better."

Read more about how arming teachers bills are making our classrooms more dangerous in Rolling Stone.

Research Corner

At less than one third the cost of medical fees for a nonfatal gun injury, hospital-based violence intervention programs (HVIPs) help break the cycle of gun violence by connecting gun violence survivors to violence prevention professionals.

These professionals begin outreach at violence survivors' hospital bedsides, then continue engagement over the next 6 to 12 months—offering crisis intervention, counseling, and referrals to services such as job training, housing assistance, and drug and alcohol counseling.

Promising research shows that HVIPs are associated with reduced risks of future violence and crime. Take a look to learn how cities can help break the cycle of violence by implementing HVIPs.

Take Action

61% of Americans support banning assault weapons. And right now, two bills are moving through Congress that would regulate these deadly weapons to prevent future tragedies.

Every day, our lawmakers' inaction is a choice. We need to make sure they know their constituents are counting on them to prioritize our lives over their political agendas. Send a message urging your lawmakers to pass an assault weapons ban.