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Everytown for Gun Safety
| Everytown for Gun Safety | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Location: | New York, N.Y. |
| Type: | 501(c)(4) |
| Top official: | John Feinblatt |
| Founder(s): | Michael Bloomberg |
| Year founded: | 2014 |
| Website: | Official website |
Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization that advocates for regulating the sale of guns nationwide. It describes itself as "a movement of Americans working together to end gun violence and build safer communities."[1]
Background
In 2006, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (D), along with Boston Mayor Thomas Menino (D) and 13 other mayors, co-founded Mayors Against Illegal Guns.[2] The early work of Mayors Against Illegal Guns focused on eliminating illegal sale of firearms. In 2006, the group's website stated, "We respect the rights of law-abiding citizens to own guns, and we recognize that the vast majority of gun dealers carefully follow the law. Our only interest is in fighting crime -- and we are determined to win. The polarizing rhetoric of gun politics on all sides only obscures the tragic reality we see every day on our streets: violent criminals with easy access to firearms."[3]
In 2014, Mayors Against Illegal Guns combined with Moms Demand Action to become Everytown for Gun Safety. The new organization kept both Moms Demand Action and Mayors Against Illegal Guns as distinct initiatives. The New York Times reported that Bloomberg planned to spend $50 million on the new group; the group's strategy would be focused on organizing in the fashion of Mothers Against Drunk Driving and would focus on changes at both the state and federal levels.[4]
Everytown for Gun Safety has a 501(c)(4) action fund that aims to educate and influence policymakers and the public. The action fund, as a 501(c)(4), may engage in political lobbying and political campaign activities. This includes donations to political committees that support or oppose ballot measures, bond issues, recalls or referenda. The support fund's 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status requires that any political activity by the organization be nonpartisan in nature.
Leadership
As of July 2025, Everytown for Gun Safety's president was John Feinblatt.[5]
Political activity
Legislative and policy work
According to its website, Everytown for Gun Safety lobbies lawmakers at the state and federal level on a variety of issues, such as "banning assault weapons and other dangerous products," passing extreme risk protection order laws and other policy proposals.[6] The website OpenSecrets reported that Everytown for Gun Safety spent $2,310,000 on lobbying at the federal level in 2024.[7]
Everytown also has a research and policy arm which "conducts independent, methodologically rigorous research, supports evidence-based policies, and communicates this knowledge to the public," according to the group's website as of July 2025.[8]
Gun injury report (2020)
On December 4, 2020, Everytown for Gun Safety published a report called A More Complete Picture: The Contours of Gun Injury in the United States. The executive summary of the report is as follows:[9]
| “ | Nonfatal gunshot wounds account for an enormous portion of the gun violence epidemic in America but they have not been an integral part of the conversation. This is, in part, because there is no centralized system for tracking nonfatal firearm injuries and no place to look up the number, type, and location of these injuries as a basis to analyze the data and use it to shape effective responses. Everytown has filled this critical gap with data and analysis using several federal datasets that are not readily available to the public.[10] | ” |
The full report is available here.
President Donald Trump's (R) administration recommended that states allow firearm businesses to remain open as essential businesses amid the coronavirus pandemic. John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety, said, "It’s shameful and nonsensical that the Trump administration has decided to put gun dealers and manufacturers on the same level as police, first responders, hospital workers, and other Americans who are risking everything to save lives during this pandemic. Governors should feel free to ignore this irresponsible advisory and do what’s best for their residents." Feinblatt also said, "Guns will not make Americans safer in the face of COVID-19. Gun stores do not deserve special treatment. In fact, a surge in gun sales will put many communities at greater risk if guns aren't stored securely and if background checks aren't completed."[11][12]
Litigation work
Everytown for Gun Safety has a litigation arm, Everytown Law, that files lawsuits against government agencies and private companies related to firearms issues and supports governments who are having their own laws challenged in court.[13]
Ballot measure activity
Ballot measure campaigns supported by Everytown for Gun Safety include measures requiring background checks for firearm purchases and authorizing courts to issue extreme risk protection orders.
Overview of ballot measure support and opposition
The following table details Everytown for Gun Safety’s ballot measure stances available on Ballotpedia:
| Ballot measure | Year | Position | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon Measure 114, Changes to Firearm Ownership and Purchase Requirements Initiative (2022) | 2022 | Supported[14] |  Approved |
|
| Montana LR-130, Limit Local Government Authority to Regulate Firearms | 2020 | Opposed[15] | Approved |
|
| Washington Initiative 1639,Changes to Gun Ownership and Purchase Requirements | 2018 | Supported[16] | Approved |
|
| Maine Question 3, Background Checks for Gun Sales | 2016 | Supported[17] |  Defeated |
|
| Nevada Question 1, Background Checks for Gun Purchases | 2016 | Supported[18] | Approved |
|
| Washington I-1491, Individual Gun Access Prevention by Court Order | 2016 | Supported[19] | Approved |
|
| Washington I-594, Universal Background Checks for Gun Purchases | 2014 | Supported[20] | Approved |
|
| Missouri Amendment 5, Right to Bear Arms | 2014 | Opposed | Approved |
} |
Candidate support
2024
Everytown for Gun Safety endorsed Kamala Harris for president in 2024 and "announced a $45 million electoral program and the launch of a new grassroots voter contact program to help elect gun sense candidates and defeat gun extremists up and down the ballot in key swing districts and states."[21]
2020
On March 9, 2020, Everytown for Gun Safety endorsed Joe Biden (D) in the Democratic presidential primary. John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety said, "Vice President Joe Biden is unquestionably the candidate in the race who has spent a lifetime fighting to protect Americans from gun violence while repeatedly taking on the NRA and winning."[22]
The Hill reported that Everytown for Gun Safety "pledged to spend $60 million on pro-gun safety candidates [in 2020]" and planned to spend $20 million supporting candidates in Arizona, Iowa, Minnesota, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Texas. Feinblatt said, "Preventing gun violence is a top priority for American voters, so Everytown has made flipping state legislatures to gun sense majorities one of our top priorities for 2020. In the coming months, we will expand the winning playbook we developed in Virginia and make sure voters in critical swing states know which legislators are still taking orders from the increasingly weak and extreme gun lobby."[23]
2019
On April 11, 2019, Politico reported that Everytown for Gun Safety launched a $100,000 ad buy thanking Republican Representatives Mario Diaz-Balart (FL-25), Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01), Will Hurd (TX-23), Pete King (NY-02) and Fred Upton (MI-06) for supporting the Violence Against Women Act. The group also criticized Don Bacon (NE-02), Chip Roy (TX-21), Elise Stefanik (NY-21) and Steve Watkins (KS-02) and Collin Peterson (MN-07) for opposing the Act.[24]
2016
In 2016, Everytown for Gun Safety endorsed Hillary Clinton for president during the Democratic Party primaries.[25]
2014
The following table details the independent expenditures made by Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund during the 2014 election cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.[26][27]
| Candidate | Party | State | Office | Total Spent | For | Against | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al Franken |  |
Minn. | Senate | $77,907 | $77,907 | $0 | Winner |
| Robin Kelly | |
Ill. | House | $64,532 | $64,532 | $0 | Winner |
| Susan Collins |  |
Maine | Senate | $50,411 | $50,411 | $0 | Winner |
| Elizabeth Esty | |
Conn. | House | $42,123 | $42,123 | $0 | Winner |
| Paul Chabot | |
Calif. | House | $40,689 | $0 | $40,689 | Lost |
| Lois Capps | |
Calif. | House | $39,558 | $39,558 | $0 | Winner |
| Michael Fitzpatrick | |
Penn. | House | $19,963 | $19,963 | $0 | Winner |
| Carl Domino | |
Fla. | House | $7,697 | $2,500 | $5,197 | Lost |
| Lawrence Kaifesh | |
Ill. | House | $7,697 | $0 | $7,697 | Lost |
| Joe Heck | |
Nev. | House | $7,298 | $0 | $7,298 | Winner |
| Scott Garrett | |
N.J. | House | $4,982 | $0 | $4,982 | Winner |
| Cresent Hardy | |
Nev. | House | $4,982 | $0 | $4,982 | Winner |
| David Joyce | |
Ohio | House | $4,982 | $0 | $4,982 | Winner |
| Frank LoBiondo | |
N.J. | House | $4,982 | $0 | $4,982 | Winner |
| Darlene Senger | |
Ill. | House | $4,982 | $0 | $4,982 | Lost |
| Kay Hagan | |
N.C. | Senate | $2,224 | $2,224 | $0 | Lost |
| Gary Peters | |
Mich. | Senate | $1,913 | $1,913 | $0 | Winner |
Notable endorsements
This section displays endorsements this organization made in elections within Ballotpedia's coverage scope.
Affiliations
Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense
Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America is a group founded after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, in 2012. The group was founded by Shannon Watts with the goal of "working together with our partners in the gun violence prevention movement to end this uniquely American crisis."[28] After the creation of Everytown for Gun Safety in 2013, Moms Demand Action was maintained as the new organization's grassroots arm, with chapters in all 50 states.[29][30] The group regularly campaigned against corporations that they saw as having unsafe gun policies, including campaigns against retail stores Target, Chipotle, Starbucks and Kroger.[31]
Finances
The following is a breakdown of the Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund's revenues and expenses for the 2020 to 2023 fiscal years, according to documents submitted to the Internal Revenue Service.
| Tax Year | Total Revenue | Total Expenses |
|---|---|---|
| 2023[32] | $60,651,946 | $55,331,677 |
| 2022[33] | $65,690,992 | $59,992,203 |
2021Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name cannot be a simple integer. Use a descriptive title |
$47,187,629 | $46,475,075 |
2020Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name cannot be a simple integer. Use a descriptive title |
$47,187,629 | $46,475,075 |
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Everytown for Gun Safety'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
- Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund
- Everytown for Gun Safety on Facebook
- Everytown for Gun Safety on Twitter
- Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund (nonprofit)
Footnotes
- ↑ Everytown , "Join The Movement To End Gun Violence In America," accessed July 30, 2025
- ↑ Everytown for Gun Safety, "Mayors Against Illegal Guns," accessed July 30, 2025
- ↑ Mayors Against Illegal Guns, "About," archived December 8, 2006
- ↑ The New York Times, "Bloomberg Plans a $50 Million Challenge to the N.R.A.," April 15, 2014
- ↑ X , "John Feinblatt," accessed July 30, 2025
- ↑ Everytown for Gun Safety , "Federal Advocacy," accessed July 30, 2025
- ↑ OpenSecrets , "Client Profile: Everytown for Gun Safety," accessed July 30, 2025
- ↑ "Everytown Research & Policy," accessed July 30, 2025
- ↑ [https://everytownresearch.org/report/nonfatals-in-the-us/ Everytown for Gun Safety, "A More Complete Picture: The Contours of Gun Injury in the United States," accessed January 6, 2020
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ NPR.org, "Officials Debate Whether Gun Stores Are 'Essential' During Coronavirus Outbreak," accessed April 30, 2020
- ↑ News Radio WRVA, "Bloomberg Front Groups Want To Use Coronavirus As Gun Grab Excuse," accessed April 30, 2020
- ↑ Everytown Law , "Our Work," accessed July 30, 2025
- ↑ Campaign Finance, "Results," accessed January 6, 2023
- ↑ Everytown for Gun Safety, "Montana Moms Demand Action, Everytown Respond After Senate Passes Dangerous Bill That Would Gut Local Authority to Pass Public Safety Laws," accessed November 20, 2019
- ↑ Everytown for Gun Safety, "Everytown, Washington Moms Demand Action Support Initiative 1639 to Strengthen Evergreen State's Gun Laws," accessed November 20, 2019
- ↑ Portland Press Herald, "Campaign gearing up to expand gun background checks in Maine," October 15, 2015
- ↑ Breitbart, "Bloomberg gun control group 'bankrolled' Nevada background check initiative," January 27, 2016
- ↑ Washington Public Disclosure Commission,"ALLIANCE FOR GUN RESPONSIBILITY ERP COMM financial records," accessed August 28, 2016
- ↑ Everytown for Gun Safety, "NEW ANALYSIS OF FBI DATA SHOWS FEDERAL BACKGROUND CHECK SYSTEM WORKS IN WASHINGTON STATE: MORE THAN 40,000 GUN SALES BLOCKED TO PROHIBITED PURCHASERS, INCLUDING 24,000 SALES TO FELONS AND MORE THAN 6,000 SALES TO DOMESTIC ABUSERS," August 21, 2014
- ↑ Everytown for Gun Safety , "Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund and Victory Fund Announce $45M Program for 2024 Elections; Launches New Voter Outreach Program to Bolster Voter Contacts in Eight Key States," July 31, 2024
- ↑ The Hill, "Biden picks up endorsement from Everytown for Gun Safety," accessed August 6, 2025
- ↑ The Hill, "Bloomberg-backed gun safety group plans state legislative blitz," accessed August 6, 2025
- ↑ Politico, "Sanders unveils new ‘Medicare for All’ plan," accessed April 14, 2019
- ↑ Politico, "Clinton wins backing of key gun control advocacy group," June 3, 2016
- ↑ Center for Responsive Politics, "Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund, 2014," accessed January 14, 2016
- ↑ Open Secrets, "Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund, 2016," accessed June 6, 2016
- ↑ Moms Demand Action, "About Us," accessed July 31, 2025
- ↑ Moms Demand Action, "Moms and Mayors to Join Forces for Gun Reform," December 19, 2013
- ↑ Moms Demand Action, "Our Chapters," accessed July 31, 2025
- ↑ Moms Demand Action, "Moms Demand Action Releases New Ad to Highlight How Kroger’s Lack of Action to Prohibit Open Carry Endangers Employees," April 23, 2015
- ↑ Internal Revenue Service , "Everytown for Gun Safety 2023 990 Form," accessed July 30, 2025
- ↑ Internal Revenue Service , "Everytown for Gun Safety 2022 990 Form," accessed July 30, 2025
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