Contact: Alex Howe, 202.271.7997
alex@americansunitedforsafestreets.org
For Immediate Release
Monday, April 13, 2009
Brother of Virginia Tech Victim Calls for End to Gun Show Loophole in New TV Ad
Ad calls on Virginian’s to contact Bob McDonnell to ask him to revaluate his opposition to closing the glaring gap in Virginia background checks
Mayor Bloomberg, VA Tech families demand action to close loophole in Virginia and nationwide
Crystal City, VA -- Omar Samaha, whose sister was killed in the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre, and more than 10 survivors and family members of victims of Virginia Tech today released a new television advertisement. The ad, which will run statewide this week, calls for closure of a loophole which allows some sellers at gun shows in Virginia to sell weapons without conducting a background check of the purchaser. The ad, which features Mr. Samaha, focuses on the former state Atty. Gen. Bob McDonnell, who is the only Virginia gubernatorial candidate who opposes closing the loophole. Mr. Samaha and the survivors and family members were joined by New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Tatyana Timoshenko. Mrs. Timoshenko is the mother of NYPD officer Russel Timoshenko -- who was killed in July, 2007 by an illegal gun sold by a Virginia gun dealer who was prosecuted for illegal gun sales.
The ad campaign coincides with the second anniversary of the Virginia Tech massacre, which claimed thirty two lives, and the tenth anniversary of the Columbine massacre in Colorado. It is sponsored by Americans United for Safe Streets, a non-partisan advocacy organization working to reduce violent crime. The ad can be viewed at americansunitedforsafestreets.org.
It will begin airing Tuesday, April 14th for a 4-day cable and broadcast run across Virginia, including these markets: Richmond, Charlottesville, Harrisonburg, Norfolk-Portsmouth, Roanoke-Lynchburg, the Tri-Cities and Washington, DC, which serves Northern Virginia viewers.
"Leaving the gun show loophole open protects criminals, not Virginians," said Mr. Samaha, a 25-year old VA Tech graduate. "I don’t want to wait around to see whose sister is next. No family should have to go through what we’ve suffered." As featured on Friday's 20/20 on ABC, Samaha recently attended a Virginia gun show and easily acquired 10 high-powered guns, including a Glock similar to the one that killed his sister, with no background check -- all in less than an hour.
Although federal law requires gun dealers to conduct background check on people purchasing weapons, it exempts so-called "occasional sellers," who often conduct business at gun shows. The loophole provides criminals with easy access to firearms without having to worry about any background checks.
A study by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives found that about 30% of all the guns detected in gun trafficking investigations were connected to gun shows and flea markets. In poll earlier last year by Christopher Newport University, Virginians ranked closing the gun show loophole as one of the top two priorities for the state legislature.
A bill to close the gun show loophole failed by only two votes in the Virginia senate earlier this year.
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Americans United for Safe Streets is a non-partisan advocacy organization that is working to educate the public and elected leaders about the need for targeted investment and smart policies to reduce violent crime across the country.
The ad can be viewed on the Americans United for Safe Streets Web site: americansunitedforsafestreets.org