The newly launched gun violence prevention umbrella group "Everytown for Gun Safety" released a series of infographics that highlight gun violence and related issues, like domestic violence and background checks, by the numbers.
Former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg pledged $50 million to Everytown, which brings together advocacy groups of mothers, mayors and survivors of gun violence to take on the Washington gun lobby, especially the National Rifle Association.
According to their website, Everytown supports stronger background checks, gun trafficking laws and more education around responsible gun ownership. The organization's launch on April 16 included Bloomberg and Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, appearing on the Today Show, and the group sharing the graphics featuring stark facts on gun violence.
According to Everytown, "More than half of the women killed with guns in the U.S. are murdered by their partners. Every month, 46 women are shot and killed in the U.S. by a current or former boyfriend or spouse."
Which is why the group is advocating for federal and state laws that would prohibit domestic abusers from buying guns without submitting to a background check. Everytown says they're also working to stop stalkers and convicted abusers from keeping the guns they may already own.
Education and advocacy around responsible gun ownership is another one of the group's priorities. Since the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., there have been 62 school shootings in the U.S. Everytown says that in order to prevent criminals, minors and the mentally ill from obtaining guns, "we should develop technology and laws that make safe storage the norm."
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Mayors Against Illegal Guns, co-founded by Bloomberg, released this PSA shortly after the Newtown shooting in December 2012.
The group also highlighted weak gun trafficking laws, which allow criminals to bring guns from one state, with less regulations, to another, with minimal penalties for offenses.
Everytown says, "A strong federal trafficking law would enable law enforcement to crack down on gun traffickers—and keep guns off our streets."
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