Washington, D.C. — Last night, voters in Washington state overwhelmingly passed a referendum—Initiative 594, requiring background checks for all gun purchases—by a vote of 60 percent to 40 percent. Meanwhile, Initiative 591—which was backed by the National Rifle Association, or NRA, and designed to block comprehensive background checks in Washington state—was soundly defeated by a vote of 45 percent to 55 percent.
Representatives of a large coalition of organizations involved in yesterday’s election results, including the Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility, the organization behind Washington state’s successful ballot initiative; the Center for American Progress Action Fund; Americans for Responsible Solutions; and Everytown for Gun Safety will be available for a press conference call today at 2:30 p.m. ET to discuss the role guns played in the competing Washington state ballot measures. The group will also discuss recent polling from Public Policy Polling that shows significant support for increased background checks for gun purchases and how this sentiment affected the successful efforts in Washington state.
WHO:
Speakers:
Tom Jensen, Director, Public Policy Polling
Zach Silk, Campaign Manager, Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility
Hayley Zachary, Executive Director, Americans for Responsible Solutions
Brina Milikowsky, Chief Strategy Officer, Everytown for Gun Safety
Moderator:
Arkadi Gerney, Senior Vice President of Campaigns and Strategies, Center for American Progress Action Fund
WHEN:
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
2:30 p.m. ET
WHERE:
Dial-in number: 888.510.1785
Conference ID: 1262375
CONTACT:
Tom Caiazza, Center for American Progress Action Fund, 202.481.7141
Tom Jensen, Public Policy Polling, 919.744.6312
Mark Prentice, Americans for Responsible Solutions, 425.999.5977
Erika Soto-Lamb, Everytown for Gun Safety, 646.580.5281
Geoff Potter, Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility, [email protected]
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