Amid all the conversation about the radicalizing political rhetoric and potential Secret Service failures that led to last weekend’s attempted assassination of Donald Trump, one piece of the conversation is missing:
Why was Thomas Matthew Crooks able to gain access to an assault-style rifle?
It shouldn’t have even been possible, but in fact it’s terrifyingly easy. We desperately need action on gun control in this country, especially as we confront the “biggest and most sustained increase in political violence since the 1970s,” according to an investigation Reuters published last year. And women will bear the brunt of this violence.
According to a joint project between Princeton University and the Anti-Defamation League, “women [in political office] are 3.4 times more likely than men to be on the receiving end of threats and harassment.” A 2021 report from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) shows a steady increase in political violence against women—both individuals and candidates—over the last 20 years, with a sharp increase starting in 2019.
That’s why we just updated our Gun Sense slate to include six women running in 2024 races who themselves have been impacted by acts or threats of gun violence, and are working to implement stricter gun laws.
- Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, US Senate-FL: Debbie lost her father to gun violence when she was 24 years old.
- Angela Alsobrooks, US Senate-MD: Angela’s family moved to Maryland after her grandfather was shot and killed by a police officer in South Carolina.
- Gloria Johnson, US Senate-TN: In 2008, a student at the school where Gloria was teaching was shot to death by another student.
- Emily Busch, US House-MI10: In 2021, a shooter killed four people at Emily’s son’s school.
- Rose Lounsbury, OH House-36: In 2019, a mass shooter opened fire in Rose’s hometown of Dayton, killing nine people.
- Michelle Kang, GA-House- 99: One day after seven people were killed in a series of spa shootings targeting Asian Americans, Michelle helped found the Atlanta Korean American Committee Against Asian Hate.
Please, consider a donation to help these women win and transform our nation’s gun politics.