Portland Mayor Brennan, Law Enforcement Officials and Survivors to Demand Action from Political Leaders to Reduce Gun Violence

One Month Since Newtown, Portland Leaders to Endorse Common-Sense Gun Reforms and Release New Television Ad Featuring Family Members of Gun Violence Victims

Ad Calls on Congress to Support Sensible Gun Laws; Ad to Air in Portland Market and also Available on www.DemandAPlan.org

Portland, Maine - On the one month anniversary of the Newtown tragedy, Portland leaders will come together to call on the President and members of Congress to take immediate steps to end the gun violence epidemic that kills 33 Americans every day.  Portland leaders will also air a new national television ad featuring family members of gun violence victims demanding a plan of action from political leaders.  In Portland, the ad will call on Washington to support common-sense gun reforms including requiring that every person who buys a gun pass a criminal background check, removing high capacity weapons and ammunition magazines from our streets and making gun trafficking a federal crime. Mayors Against Illegal Guns is hosting similar events across the country to mark the one month anniversary of Newtown and to release the national ad.

WHO:             Portland Mayor Michael Brennan

                        Portland Police Chief Michael Sauschuck  

                        Portland Superintendent Emmanuel Caulk

                        Members of Maine Citizens to End Handgun Violence

WHEN:           Monday, January 14

                        10:30am

WHERE:         Portland City Hall, State of Maine room

                        389 Congress Street

                        Portland, ME 04101

RSVP:             Nicole Clegg, NicoleClegg@portlandmaine.gov

About Mayors Against Illegal Guns

Since its inception in April 2006, Mayors Against Illegal Guns has grown from 15 mayors to more than 800 mayors from across the country. We have more than 900,000 grassroots supporters, making us the largest gun violence prevention advocacy organization in the country.  The bipartisan coalition, co-chaired by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, has united the nation¹s mayors around these common goals: protecting their communities by holding gun offenders and irresponsible gun dealers accountable; demanding access to trace data that is critical to law enforcement efforts to combat illegal gun trafficking; and working with legislators to fix gaps, weaknesses and loopholes in the law that make it far too easy for criminals and other prohibited purchasers to get guns.  Learn more at www.DemandAPlan.org