Formation | 2006 |
---|---|
Type |
501(c)(4) 501(c)(3) |
20-8802884 | |
Headquarters | New York, New York, U.S. |
Region
|
United States |
Co-chair
|
Michael R. Bloomberg |
Subsidiaries | Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America |
Affiliations | Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund |
Revenue (2012)
|
$4.9 million |
Expenses (2012) | $4.7 million |
Website | everytown |
Formerly called
|
Mayors Against Illegal Guns |
Everytown for Gun Safety is an American nonprofit organization which advocates for gun control and against gun violence. Everytown was founded in 2014, combining Mayors Against Illegal Guns and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.
The organization works to "support efforts to educate policy makers, as well the press and the public, about the consequences of gun violence and promote efforts to keep guns out of the hands of criminals." Most recently the group has focused on efforts to require universal background checks on firearms purchases.
Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG) was formed in April 2006 during a summit co-hosted by mayors Michael Bloomberg of New York City and Thomas Menino of Boston at New York's mayoral residence, Gracie Mansion. Bloomberg and Menino co-chaired the coalition. The initial group consisted of 15 mayors who signed a statement of principles. By the end of 2014, there were 855 mayors in the coalition.
In April 2014, Everytown for Gun Safety was established, merging MAIG with Moms Demand Action. The launch of Everytown occurred nearly one year after the U.S. Senate debated a series of changes to federal gun laws in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting, including a failed amendment, sponsored by West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin (D) and Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey (R), that would have required background checks for all gun sales taking place at gun shows or over the internet. According to Bloomberg, Everytown was founded to match the National Rifle Association in political influence.
Prior to the inception of Everytown, a priority goal of Mayors Against Illegal Guns was to repeal the Tiahrt Amendment, named after its sponsor, Congressman Todd Tiahrt (R-KS). Since its passage in 2003 as an amendment to the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, the Tiahrt Amendment has forbidden the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) from releasing information from its firearm trace database to anyone other than a law enforcement agency or prosecutor in connection with a specific criminal investigation, and any data so released is deemed inadmissible in a civil lawsuit. Rep. Tiahrt has stated that his amendment is intended to protect the privacy of gun owners and to prevent abuse of the data by anyone outside of law enforcement.