4/16/2014
By Ivan Pereira
Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg took his fight against the gun lobby to the next level Wednesday, announcing a new coalition that will go after gun control opponents across the nation.
Bloomberg will spend $50 million of his own money to fund “Everytown for Gun Safety,” which will fight to make Congress reconsider several gun control measures, including universal background checks.
The former mayor made the rounds on several news programs Wednesday to promote the group, contending that no one is doing enough to stand up to the aggressive tactics used by the NRA that influence elected officials to vote against common sense safety laws.
“They say, ‘We don’t care. We’re going to go after you,'” Bloomberg said of the lobby group on “Today.” “We’ve got to make them afraid of us.”
Everytown will serve as an umbrella nonprofit for Bloomberg’s coalition “Mayors Against Illegal Guns,” and “Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America,” a grassroots nonprofit that was created after the Newtown shootings.
The group will have a PAC that will fund elected officials in the federal, state and city governments who support and vote on pro gun control laws and measures.
John Feinblatt, President of Everytown, said the group will take aim at leaders on both sides of the aisle, especially during midterms.
“Before politicians cast their vote they will hear from Everytown and listen to our members loud and clear,” he said during a conference call with reporters.
Everytown, which also has the support of several prominent figures like former Boston Mayor Tom Menino and billionaire Warren Buffett, launched a site Wednesday that includes an online petition with more than 1.5 million supporters.
Gun control advocacy groups praised Bloomberg and his group for leading the fight for safety.
“We believe that the bigger and better resourced our movement is, the more every American will ultimately benefit,” the Brady Center said in a statement.
A spokesman for the NRA told CNN it would respond to Bloomberg during its annual convention in Indianapolis next week. Feinblatt and Watt said the group will be there to remind the lobby that most of its members support gun control.
“What we are building is a counter weight to the gun lobby,” Feinblatt said.
