Founder Shannon Watts Website momsdemandaction.org | Membership 130,000 | |
Formation December 15, 2012; 4 years ago (2012-12-15) Purpose Reducing gun violence and advocating for gun control | ||
Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, commonly referred to as Moms Demand Action, is a campaign of the Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund. The group was founded by Shannon Watts in Indianapolis, on December 15, 2012, the day after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. The group started as a grassroots Facebook page titled "One Million Moms for Gun Control." By the end of 2013, it had grown into an advocacy group with 130,000 members and chapters in all 50 states. Moms Demand Action has lobbied members of Congress to expand background checks for individuals purchasing guns. An ad campaign launched by the group compared laws concerning assault weapons with laws that have successfully banned other things in certain areas of the United States, including Kinder Surprise chocolates, certain books, and dodgeball.
Watts has stated that she modeled Moms Demand Action after Mothers Against Drunk Driving. In December 2013, Moms Demand Action announced that it had merged with Mayors Against Illegal Guns to form Everytown for Gun Safety.