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News release

Moms Call on Orlando Officials to Oppose ‘Open Carry’ Bills

February 2, 2016
Gun Control

Lisa Lederer, 202-371-1996

Families Across US Pledge Not to Vacation in Florida if Open Carry Becomes State Law
A bill in the Florida legislature that would allow gun permit holders to openly carry weapons is causing concern across the United States and could have a dramatic negative impact on Florida’s tourism industry. That concern has been shared with MomsRising, an online and on-the-ground grassroots organization focused on family economic security, and the group is sharing those messages with Florida lawmakers and others.
 
More than 25,000 people signed a petition urging the Florida Tourism Commission to oppose open carry law. Many of those people provided comments voicing their concerns, and letting the tourism commission and others know that “families do not want to vacation in a state where people are openly carrying weapons.”
 
Florida moms and kids will deliver books containing hundreds of those comments from moms, dads, grandparents and others across the country to Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer:
 
10am, Thursday, February 4
400 S. Orange Avenue (City Hall)
Orlando
 
In addition to Mayor Dyer, MomsRising is sending books to the Orlando Sheriff and other Orange County officials. The group has already sent copies to Disney World, Universal Studios and other companies in the tourist industry. The group is urging public officials responsible for public safety and corporations that profit from tourism to take a stand against open carry bills.
 
MomsRising Florida Organizer Sili Recio will be available at the delivery to comment on the campaign to prevent passage of the open carry bill.
 

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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.