Everytown Pledges $25 Million to Combat Concealed Carry Reciprocity
Posted at 2:40 pm on April 10, 2017 by Beth Baumann
Michael Bloomberg’s Everytown for Gun Safety has it’s sights set on the future. The gun control group announced their ambitious pledge to spend upwards of $25 million in the 2018 elections as a means of putting a stop to concealed carry reciprocity.
Bloomberg’s first vital move in this strategy shift involved hiring a few key staffers who will be responsible for focusing on state legislatures instead of Washington politics. These staffers will be responsible for Congressional scorecards based on how a politician votes on “gun safety” bills.
Key players include:
- Brynne Craig – Hillary Clinton’s Deputy Director of State Campaigns. Craig will be Everytown’s Managing Director of External Affairs and Civic Engagement
- Kirk Fordham – public relations consultant; Legislative Director and Deputy Chief of Staff for Sen. Inhofe (R-OK); Finance Director for Sen. Mel Martinez (R-FL); Executive Director of Gill Action Fund. Fordham will be the Managing Director of Partnerships and Strategic Planning.
- Matt McTigh – Executive Director of Freedom for All Americans. McTigh is Everytown’s new Chief Operating Officer.
- Eric Schultz – senior advisor to President Obama. Schultz will advise Everytown on communications and political strategy.
“This is a line in the sand on this issue, there’s no question about it. The NRA wants to normalize carrying guns in public. It’s not where the American public is,” Everytown president John Feinblatt told POLITICO. “We’re putting people on notice today that we’re watching … and that we expect to hold people accountable.”
Gabrielle Giffords’ gun control group, Americans for Responsible Solutions, is also focused on combatting concealed carry reciprocity, a sign that gun control groups across the board are switching their strategy and focus.
According to Peter Ambler, Executive Director of Americans for Responsible Solutions, the challenge they face is knowing exactly how a legislator stands on the issue of concealed carry reciprocity.
…several Senate Democrats and Republicans who supported concealed carry reciprocity in previous Congresses when it was sure not to be signed by Obama. Now, Ambler said, those lawmakers don’t actually want it to become law now that there’s a president who would sign it.
“Consistency is a crucible for so many legislators, so we have to fight against that,” Ambler said. “But we’re making progress.”
Right now it is unclear what states the groups are targeting, but you can bet Bloomberg’s millions will go a long way in fueling their efforts.
Stay vigilant, patriots.