Three Questions for Gun Lobby Ally Glenn Youngkin Ahead of Tonight’s Gubernatorial Debate

Everytown Has Pledged To Spend Upwards Of $1.8 Million To Protect Virginia’s Gun Sense Trifecta This Year

Last Week, Everytown Launched New TV Ad With McAuliffe Campaign Featuring Gun Violence Survivor 

Tonight at 7 pm, gun lobby ally Glenn Youngkin and gun sense champion Terry McAuliffe will meet again for the second gubernatorial debate. Moms Demand Action volunteers are available for interviews on the role that gun safety will play in this critical race. Last week, Everytown released a joint ad with Terry for Virginia featuring gun violence survivor Lisette Johnson reminding voters that when it comes to common-sense gun safety measures that keep communities safe, Glenn Youngkin won’t protect Virginia’s families.

Since winning the primary, the Washington Post has detailed how Glenn Youngkin has “gone silent” on his extremist positions on guns. Tonight, moderator Chuck Todd should push Youngkin to answer:

1. Why does Glenn Youngkin want criminals and domestic abusers to have easier access to guns? During the primary, Glenn Youngkin said he opposed the common-sense gun safety laws that the General Assembly passed in 2020 and 2021, which included expanding background checks to cover all gun sales and laws that make it harder for criminals and domestic abusers to get access to guns. Since then, Glenn Youngkin has avoided talking about guns altogether, going as far as refusing to fill out the NRA’s questionnaire, despite bragging about being a lifetime NRA member during the primary.
2. Does Glenn Youngkin support bringing Texas’s extremist policies to Virginia, including permitless carry? Texas recently enacted a bill allowing anyone to carry a firearm in public without a background check, safety training or a permit, among a suite of extremist bills passed this year including a six-week abortion ban. The gun lobby already has pushed for a permitless carry bill in Virginia and Youngkin should make his position on it clear.
3. Does Glenn Youngkin stand with Donald Trump or with the police officers who defended against the January 6th insurrection? Glenn Yongkin has said he was “honored” to receive Trump’s “complete and total endorsement” — even after the Capitol insurrection and the ensuing campaign to discredit Capitol police officers who spoke out. Does Glenn Youngkin side with Donald Trump and armed extremists or with public safety?

After the 2019 Virginia Beach mass shooting, polls showed that gun safety was the number one issue for Virginia voters. Everytown made major investments in Virginia in the 2019 elections, buying TV, digital, and mail advertising and activating its grassroots network to make sure voters knew who was on the side of gun safety and who was on the side of the gun lobby. And Virginians cast their ballots accordingly, creating gun sense majorities in Virginia for the first time in nearly 25 years. The legislature then passed a suite of gun safety reforms, including landmark legislation to require background checks on all gun sales.

McAuliffe is running on a strong platform of not only supporting Virginia’s common-sense gun safety legislation passed in the last two years but also continuing to build on this progress, by expanding Virginia’s background check law and keeping guns out of the hands of those convicted of hate crimes. Everytown has pledged to spend upwards of $1.8 million and is mobilizing its Moms Demand Action volunteer network to elect gun sense champions Terry McAuliffe, Hala Ayala, and Mark Herring and keep a gun sense majority in the House of Delegates.

More on gun violence in Virginia:

• In Virginia each year, on average, 1,019 people die by guns, and 2,050 people are shot and wounded.
• Black people in Virginia are 8 times more likely to die by gun homicide than white people.
• Gun violence costs Virginia $7.1 billion each year, of which $292.5 million is paid by taxpayers.

Additional statistics about gun violence in Virginia are available here.

Paid for by Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund. Not authorized by a candidate. Supports Terry McAuliffe

About Moms Demand Action
Moms Demand Action is the nation’s largest grassroots volunteer network working to end gun violence. Moms Demand Action is part of Everytown for Gun Safety, an organization with nearly six million supporters and more than 375,000 donors. Moms Demand Action campaigns for new and stronger solutions to lax gun laws and loopholes that jeopardize the safety of our families. There is a Moms Demand Action chapter in every state of the country and more than 700 local groups across the country. For more information or to get involved visit www.momsdemandaction.org. Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MomsDemandAction or on Twitter at @MomsDemand.

About Students Demand Action
Students Demand Action is a national movement of high school and college-aged volunteers working to end gun violence. Students Demand Action volunteers organize within their schools and communities to educate their peers, register voters, and demand common-sense solutions to this national crisis. Students Demand Action has active volunteers in every state and more than 400 groups across the country. Students Demand Action is part of Everytown for Gun Safety, the largest gun violence prevention organization in the country with nearly six million supporters and more than 375,000 donors. For more information or to get involved visit www.studentsdemandaction.org.