Change Is Happening: Top GOP Donor Breaks With Party And Starts Gun Control Group

As the March For Our Lives swept through Washington D.C. and the world on Saturday, the impacts of the work being done by these young people were already being felt. Change is happening.

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TIME reported on Saturday that a top Republican donor has become so fed up with his party’s inaction on curbing gun violence that he is starting a gun control advocacy group.

According to the report, “A major Republican donor fed up with congressional inaction has launched a gun control advocacy group with support from both Republican congressmen and other donors and fundraisers to persuade Congress to pass comprehensive gun control reform.”

It’s a sign that the politics of gun control are changing as shootings continue to tear through big cities and small towns across the country. Not only are Democrats proud to take a stand on guns, but Republicans are beginning to move on the issue, too.

More from the TIME report:

Called Americans for Gun Safety Now, the group is spearheaded by Ambassador Al Hoffman Jr., a Florida estate real developer and GOP donor who served as Ambassador to Portugal under George W. Bush.

 

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The group has devised a six-point plan for comprehensive gun legislation, which is outlined in an ad it ran in the Wall Street Journal Saturday, urging Congress to pass it as soon as possible. The plan includes expanding background checks, raising the age limit for all gun purchases to 21, eliminating bump stocks, and limiting high capacity magazines, while explicitly retaining support for Second Amendment rights.

The ‘March For Our Lives’ is working

In just over a month, the young survivors of the Parkland mass shooting have done something incredible. Not only have they organized a massive worldwide demonstration, but they have been able to push legislators to support and speak out for tougher gun laws.

We saw that in Florida, as leaders in the state decided to take small steps to tighten regulations, including waiting periods and an increase in the age requirement to buy a firearm. Now it’s time for federal lawmakers to do something they have failed to do in the aftermath of mass shootings: pass meaningful comprehensive gun safety measures.

Preventing gun violence is no longer a Democrat vs. Republican issue. These students have framed the issue as it should be; not about political party but about saving lives.

Sean Colarossi

Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.