Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund

Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund
Name	Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund
Formation	2013
Headquarters	New York City
Leader title	President
Leader name	Ady Barkan
Affiliations	Everytown for Gun Safety

Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund is a political advocacy group focused on gun violence prevention and electoral politics in the United States. Founded as the electoral and mobilization arm of a broader movement, the organization engages in candidate support, ballot initiatives, and legislative campaigns at federal, state, and local levels. It operates within a network of nonprofit, political, and grassroots organizations to influence public policy and elections.

History

Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund emerged in 2013 from the merger of existing advocacy networks and post-2012 activism following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting and the 2012 United States presidential election. Early leadership and organizing drew on figures and institutions connected to Michael Bloomberg, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, and Bloomberg Philanthropies, with institutional ties to organizations such as Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America and Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. The group's formation coincided with heightened legislative battles like the 2013 debates over the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act reauthorizations and national campaigns reacting to events including the Aurora, Colorado shooting, the Charleston church shooting, and the Las Vegas shooting. Over time, the Action Fund expanded its electoral work during cycles like the 2016 United States elections, the 2018 United States elections, and the 2020 United States elections, coordinating with coalitions active around the Gun Control Act of 1968's contemporary interpretations and state-level statutes in places such as California, Texas, Florida, and Virginia.

Mission and Activities

The stated mission centers on reducing gun violence through policy change, public education, and electoral engagement, aligning advocacy efforts with organizations like Everytown for Gun Safety, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, and state groups such as Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence. Activities include ballot initiative campaigns similar in scope to those seen in Colorado, legislative lobbying comparable to efforts around the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, and public communications campaigns leveraging partnerships with media outlets like The New York Times, The Washington Post, and CNN. The Action Fund conducts research and polling analogous to work by the Pew Research Center and Gallup, supports candidate endorsements in contests such as the United States Senate elections, and participates in grassroots mobilization modeled after campaigns by MoveOn, Indivisible, and Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

Political Advocacy and Campaigns

Electoral strategy has included independent expenditures, voter registration drives, and coordinated efforts in competitive districts like those in the House of Representatives during the 2018 United States House of Representatives elections. The Action Fund has run television and digital advertising targeting candidates in high-profile races involving figures such as Mitch McConnell, Nancy Pelosi, Joe Biden, and Donald Trump-aligned officeholders. Campaigns have aimed at state legislatures and governors' races in jurisdictions including Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Arizona, and have supported ballot measures akin to the initiatives seen in Washington (state) and Massachusetts. The group has also engaged in litigation strategy in coordination with organizations like American Civil Liberties Union and Giffords when legal challenges intersected with public policy objectives.

Funding and Organization

The Action Fund's funding model has reflected major contributions from philanthropies and high-net-worth donors in the mold of Bloomberg Philanthropies, alongside grassroots small-dollar donations and organizational grants comparable to those given to ACLU affiliates. Structurally, it operates as a separate political entity from its nonprofit counterpart, employing campaign staff with experience from institutions such as Democratic National Committee, Republican National Committee defectors, and advocacy shops like Center for American Progress and Heritage Action veterans. Financial disclosures and filings mirror practices used by other hybrid advocacy groups and political action committees active in the 2016 United States presidential election and subsequent cycles.

Campaign Finance and Lobbying Controversies

The Action Fund has been subject to scrutiny and debate over campaign finance practices similar to controversies involving Super PACs and organizations linked to Citizens United v. FEC. Critics have raised questions about coordination boundaries between the Action Fund and affiliated nonprofit entities in ways echoing disputes around groups such as Priorities USA Action and Crossroads GPS. Lobbying and donor transparency debates have involved comparisons to reports concerning Michael Bloomberg's political spending, the role of dark money highlighted in studies by the Center for Responsive Politics, and regulatory oversight by the Federal Election Commission. State-level conflicts have mirrored controversies in Florida and Ohio about ballot initiative funding disclosure and donor attribution.

Impact and Policy Outcomes

Advocacy efforts have contributed to legislative outcomes including enactment of laws resembling universal background check statutes in states like Nevada and Colorado, red flag or extreme risk protection order laws similar to statutes passed in Indiana and Florida, and safe storage regulations in jurisdictions comparable to California. The Action Fund's electoral interventions have been credited by supporters with influencing close contests in the 2018 United States elections and shifting state legislative balances in places such as Virginia and New Jersey. Policy research produced or commissioned by the group has been cited alongside academic work from institutions like Johns Hopkins University's Bloomberg School of Public Health and analyses by the RAND Corporation.

Criticism and Opposition

Opposition has come from advocacy groups such as the National Rifle Association, Gun Owners of America, and Second Amendment Foundation, as well as from political figures in the United States Senate and statehouses who argue about constitutional interpretations of the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution. Critics have leveled charges regarding political influence similar to critiques directed at big philanthropy in electoral politics and have challenged policy prescriptions in courts with involvement from litigants represented by legal actors like the Pacific Legal Foundation and private law firms. Media coverage and opinion pieces in outlets such as Fox News, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Post have reflected partisan debates and divergent assessments of the group's tactics and effectiveness.

Category:Civic organizations of the United States