MAYORS AGAINST ILLEGAL GUNS AIRS TELEVISION AD FEATURING TUCSON SHOOTING SURVIVORS TO DEMAND A PLAN TO END GUN VIOLENCE FROM PRESIDENT OBAMA AND GOVERNOR ROMNEY

30 Second Ad Aired During Sunday Political Shows and Olympics Coverage

48,000 Americans Will Be Murdered With Guns in Next President’s Term – UnlessCandidates Act to Prevent Gun Violence – www.DemandAPlan.org

Mayors Against Illegal Guns, the bipartisan coalition of more than 700 mayors working to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people, today released a television advertisement as part of the campaign to “Demand A Plan” from President Obama and Governor Romney on how they will reduce the gun violence that will claim 48,000 Americans lives during the next presidential term.

The ad can be viewed here: www.demandaplan.org/tucson

The Tucson survivors have waited nearly 600 days for Washington to take action to end gun violence – they are still waiting, and we are all waiting,” said Mayors Against Illegal Guns Co-Chair and New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. “Every day that goes by without action, 34 more people will be murdered with guns. The people who want to run this country need to tell us their plans to stop the bloodshed.”

We hope that the demand for a plan to reduce gun violence is heard loud and clear in Washington today,” said Mayors Against Illegal Guns Co-Chair and Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino. “The moment of silence has lasted too long. It’s time for real specifics on how we can prevent the gun violence that will claim 48,000 lives in the next presidential term if no action is taken.” 

The Demand A Plan campaign was launched just days after the Aurora shooting in conjunction with survivors and family members of victims of gun violence with a petition and full-page advertisement in USA TODAY, urging the two presidential candidates to detail specific plans to prevent the gun violence that murders 34 Americans every day. The petition – available at www.DemandAPlan.org – has already received more than 125,000 signatures.  

Featured in the advertisement are three survivors of the January 8, 2011, Tucson, Arizona shooting – (Ret.) Colonel Bill Badger, Patricia Maisch and Pam Simon.

Colonel Badger is a retired U.S. Army Colonel, a gun owner, hunter, and a registered Republican. Colonel Badger was shot in the back of the head by the shooter and fell to the ground. As the shooter reached for his second ammunition clip, Colonel Badger grabbed the shooter, hit him in the shoulder to knock him to the ground and put him in a choke hold.

Pam Simon was Representative Gabrielle Giffords’s Community Outreach Director. Pam was shot in the chest and hand. Pam recently retired, and prior to working for Representative Giffords she was a middle school teacher.  

Patricia Maisch helped disarm the Tucson shooter by grabbing his second magazine clip after he was tackled.  Pat testified before the Senate Crime Subcommittee in support of closing loopholes in the background check system on November 15, 2011.  

The advertisement first aired on Sunday, August 5^th in the Washington, DC market during Olympics coverage (NBC), This Week with George Stephanopoulos (ABC), Face the Nation (CBS), State of the Union with Candy Crowley (CNN) and Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace (FOX). The ad will continue to air early next week on CNN, FOX and MSNBC. 

Full script of the ad follows: