John–
I spent the last eight weeks crisscrossing the country to get out the vote for Gun Sense Candidates. Every day, I saw the powerful ways our volunteers showed up in big cities, small towns, and rural communities to help voters make their voices heard.
During this election cycle, our volunteers made 12 million voter contacts. Through millions of phone calls, text messages, door knocks, and conversations about gun safety, we helped people imagine a future free from gun violence—and vote for that future.
So while the results at the top of the ticket weren't what we'd hoped for, I want to highlight a handful of down-ballot victories that give me hope:
- In Memphis, Tennessee, three gun safety ballot initiatives passed! Memphis voters overwhelmingly support handgun permits, Extreme Risk Protection Orders, and banning assault rifles within city limits—because they know these policies save lives.
- Gun sense champions Lisa Blunt Rochester and Angela Alsobrooks made history: for the first time, there will be two Black women in the U.S. Senate!
- Colorado voters passed Prop KK, making it the second state in the country to pass an excise tax on guns and ammunition. This is expected to generate an additional $39 million in state revenue, which will be allocated to mental health and support services for veterans, at-risk youth, and survivors of domestic abuse and other violent crimes.
- Gun Sense Candidates broke the Republican supermajority in North Carolina's House of Representatives—protecting newly-elected Governor Josh Stein's veto power, which will be crucial in future gun safety fights.
- Kentucky voters further cemented a gun sense majority on the state Supreme Court by electing the court's first Black woman, Pamela Goodwine! Courts are where so many gun safety issues play out—so electing justices committed to public safety is critical to our work.
- After six women won Senate seats, New Mexico now has a female-majority legislature for the first time ever.
These wins weren't a given—they were hard-fought by our volunteers and wouldn't have been possible without the strength of this movement. So thank you for being in this fight.
The brighter future we're fighting for is still possible—but it's going to take all of us, together. As we enter the frightening reality of a second Trump Administration, our resolve and commitment to building a gun violence-free future is more important than ever. Do your part by joining a Moms or Students Demand Action chapter near you.
We'll be here to keep pushing our work forward, no matter what. Our lives depend on it.
Angela Ferrell-Zabala
She/Her/Hers
Executive Director, Moms Demand Action
& Senior Vice President of Movement Building
Everytown for Gun Safety
