Gun control activists remain passionate in their desire for universal background checks for potential buyers, especially when it comes to keeping deadly weapons out of the hands of people with a history of mental illness. Calls for gun bans only increase in volume with each deadly shooting.
While organizations like the National Rifle Association staunchly support politicians who would ease state and federal restrictions, many groups remain committed to enacting what they call "common-sense legislation."
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Many Americans support the fight to curb violence, and believe it starts with limiting assault rifles and other weapons often used in mass shootings. Here are a few such groups hoping to make a difference:
Everytown for Gun Safety. Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg and late Boston Mayor Thomas Menino founded Mayors Against Illegal Guns in 2006, and the bipartisan group ballooned to include more than 1,000 current and former mayors from nearly every state — all fighting for common-sense gun laws. The coalition joined with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America to form Everytown.
The goal is simply to work together to "build safer communities. Gun violence touches every town in America. For too long, change has been thwarted by the Washington gun lobby and by leaders who refuse to take common-sense steps that will save lives."
Bloomberg himself pledged to spend $50 million of his fortune this year to form a national grass-roots campaign to pressure lawmakers for tougher gun laws. The organization has more than "2.5 million mayors, moms, cops, teachers, survivors, gun owners."
Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. Founded in 1974, the CSGV "seeks to secure freedom from gun violence through research, strategic engagement, and effective policy advocacy," the group says in its mission statement. It consists of 47 national organizations, including religious organizations, child welfare advocates, public health professionals, and social justice organizations.
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Their three-part strategy includes a simple message to elected officials: "The era of no accountability is over. If you do the NRA's bidding and put our loved ones in the line of fire, we will educate your constituents about your record."
The CSGV believes that all Americans "have a right to live in communities free from gun violence."
Violence Policy Center. Citing 30,000 American deaths per year as the result of gun suicides, homicides, and unintentional shootings, the VPC states that gun violence is a "broad-based public health crisis."
"Firearms are the only consumer product not regulated by a federal agency for health and safety," the VPC writes on its website. "This unique exemption has been exploited by the gun industry as it has moved to embrace increased lethality as the foundation of its design, manufacturing, and marketing efforts in the wake of the long-term decline in household gun ownership."
Among its many efforts is the 1994 publication, "Cease Fire: A Comprehensive Strategy to Reduce Firearms Violence." The group's successful track record on all governmental levels has prompted the NRA to call the VPC "the most effective ... anti-gun rabble rouser in Washington."
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