Subject: RE: Research: pls fact check Dan Gross remarks for 11:15AM
From: "Brinster, Jeremy" <[email-masked]>
To: "Helmstetter, TJ" <[email-masked]>, RR2 <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 20 May 2016 06:48:41 -0700

I mean he directly says the election is between HRC and Trump. I feel like he'll say it no matter what, but obviously if he says that on a press call, it's going to be bad for us, especially with this week we've had.

From: Helmstetter, TJ
Sent: Friday, May 20, 2016 9:40 AM
To: RR2
Subject: Research: pls fact check Dan Gross remarks for 11:15AM

Just got these from Brady Campaign. Thanks

Thank you Congresswoman Esty and Congressman Aguilar.  Both of you are glowing examples of what it means to be a leader and to truly serve the American people, and I'm privileged that I can call you allies of ours in the fight to keep guns out of dangerous hands.

Unfortunately in our Congress today there are some politicians too beholden to the corporate gun lobby. They kowtow to the industry's giants and keep violent felons, domestic abusers, and even terrorists armed to the teeth with guns.

Earlier this week Senator Chuck Schumer fulfilled a personal promise he made to the Brady Campaign by introducing Brady Bill 2.0. This bill would expand Brady background checks to all gun sales, a policy supported by 90 percent of Americans, including 84 percent of gun owners and, yes, 74 percent of National Rifle Association members.

I'll say that again, 74 percent of National Rifle Association members support expanding Brady background checks to all gun sales to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers, violent felons, and people with dangerous mental illnesses. There's remarkable common ground shared by the American people. It doesn't matter whether you love or hate guns, nine out of ten Americans believe we would all be safer if there weren't thousands of guns sold every day, at gun shows and online, without background checks.

But the NRA's leadership and political champions, including Wayne LaPierre, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and Donald J. Trump, have flouted the will of everyday NRA members to appease the gun industry.
As the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump has made gun violence in America a campaign trail punchline. In January, the front runner speculated that he could "stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody" without hurting his popularity. He has opposed expanded background checks despite the fact that they are supported by nearly three-quarters of the very same membership of the organization he'll address today.

It's interesting to me that Trump, who has branded himself as a populist candidate not beholden to any lobby or special interest group, continuously regurgitates the baseless talking points used by the corporate gun lobby and its allies in Congress.

Make no mistake: this presidential election represents a critical crossroads for this issue and for our collective safety. Lives are literally at stake. The choice between Hillary Clinton Democrats and Donald Trump will be a referendum on gun violence in America - and the result will make a big difference either helping to fight or fuel the problem.

Americans agree we can't afford a President who will put lives at risk by rolling back effective, life-saving gun safety measures and advocating for a world where everyone - from convicted violent criminals to domestic abusers to terrorists - can buy guns with no questions asked.

As he prepares to address the National Rifle Association as today's keynote speaker, I challenge Donald Trump to stand by the 74% of NRA members who want expanded Brady background checks and I call on him to support Senator Schumer's recently introduced Brady Bill 2.0 that expands background checks to all gun sales.

TJ Helmstetter
Deputy Director of Regional and Specialty Media
Democratic National Committee
202.863.8022 - desk
973.464.9224 - cell
[email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>