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News release

Moms and Doctors Come to Capitol Hill to Support Surgeon General Nominee, Tell Senators to Listen to Moms, Not NRA

June 3, 2014
Gun Control

Lisa Lederer, 202-371-1996

MomsRising.org, MoveOn, CREDO and the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence Deliver 220,000 Petition Signatures to Senators in Support of Vivek Murthy
WASHINGTON, DC – Moms, children, and gun safety advocates came together today to support President Obama’s nominee for US Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy. Murthy has been under attack by the gun lobby, most notably the NRA, for publicly expressing his opinion that gun safety is a public health issue.
 
MomsRising, MoveOn, CREDO, and the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, along with public health experts and 50 area moms and children held a rally at the Lutheran Church of the Reformation on Capitol Hill in support of Murthy.* At it, several individuals shared their personal stories of gun violence. Among them were Jeanette Richardson, who lost her son, Patrick, ten years ago when he was shot right outside the family home on New Year’s Eve. Since then, Richardson has co-founded a Virginia chapter of an organization called Parents of Murdered Children.
 
Other speakers included Anne Haynes, a MomsRising member and public health educator whose husband was shot and killed by an intruder in their home on Veterans’ Day 2013, and medical experts including Dr. Chris Lillis, an internist in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and Dr. Sanjeev Sriram, a pediatrician who treats children in southeast Washington, D.C.
 
Following the rally, the group headed to the U.S. Senate to deliver petitions with the signatures of more 220,000 individuals who support Dr. Murthy’s nomination to serve as Surgeon General. The children in the group were dressed in doctor's scrubs, lab coats and stethoscopes to reinforce the message that gun safety is a public health issue.
 
“Guns are the second leading cause of death in the U.S. among children ages 1 to 19, tragically taking 10,000 young lives annually,” said Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, executive director and CEOofMomsRising. “To try and bar this eminently qualified doctor from serving as the nation’s foremost champion of public health for expressing a view on gun safety that is held by the entire medical establishment is nothing short of ridiculous. MomsRising, our partners and members proudly to stand with Dr. Murthy and will deliver that message in person to the U.S. Senate today.”
 
“Someone is shot and killed every 17 minutes in this country. Americans deserve a Surgeon General who is willing to stand up to the NRA and say that gun violence is a clear threat to public health,” said Becky Bond, CREDO's political director. “If the Senate doesn't confirm Dr. Vivek Murthy it will be yet more proof that the cowardly politicians in Washington, D.C. care more about appeasing the gun lobby than serving their constituents.”
 
“MoveOn members are standing up with Americans around the country who support Surgeon General nominee Murthy,” said Anna Galland, executive director of MoveOn.org Civic Action. “It is sad to see members of Congress in the NRA's pocket who are trying to block Dr. Murthy's confirmation simply because he has expressed the mainstream view shared by many public health leaders that it is time to do something about gun violence. It's time to disabuse the NRA of the notion that it holds a veto over who our next Surgeon General will be.”
 
“As the mother of a young student who was shot and injured at Virginia Tech, I find it disturbing to see gun lobbyists trying to direct public health decisions in this country,” said Lori Haas, an organizer with the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. “They are not qualified to do so, and the goals of gun industry profits and safe streets are in no way synonymous. We don't listen to tobacco lobbyists when debating lung cancer treatment.  The gun lobby should not be at the table when it comes to selecting a Surgeon General.”
 
“Dr. Murthy is an experienced, dedicated and innovative physician with the background necessary to be an effective advocate for health policy and scientific research that save lives,” said CAP Action President, Governor Ted Strickland. “Unfortunately, he has become the target of special interests willing to hold up this important post for their own individual gain. It’s time for the Senate to confirm Dr. Murthy and give this valuable public servant the opportunity to help improve the health of all Americans.”
 
All of the partner petitions are available online:
 
 
* Please note that MomsRising’s use of space at the Lutheran Church of the Reformation does not indicate endorsement or sponsorship by the church.
 

Please note that MomsRising’s use of space at the Lutheran Church of the Reformation does not indicate endorsement or sponsorship by the church

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MomsRising.org is an on-the-ground and online grassroots organization of more than a million people who are working to increase family economic security, decrease discrimination against women and moms, and to build a nation where businesses and families can thrive. Established in 2006, MomsRising and its members are organizing and speaking out to improve public policy and to change the national dialogue on issues that are critically important to America’s families, including criminal justice reform, immigration policy reform, and gun safety. MomsRising is working for paid family and medical leave, affordable, high quality childcare and early learning, and for an end to the wage and hiring discrimination which penalizes women — particularly moms and women of color — and so many others. MomsRising advocates for access to healthy food for all kids, health care for all, earned sick days, and breastfeeding rights so that all children can have a healthy start. MomsRising maintains a Spanish language website: MamásConPoder.org. Sign up online at www.MomsRising.org — and follow us on our blog, and on Twitter and Facebook.