Shannon watts12/31/2023 ![]() Moms Demand Action now has a list of nearly 5 million people who’ve signed up and 300,000 active volunteers-200,000 of whom have joined since the February 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Florida, which left 17 dead-who fan out to state legislatures every time a gun law comes up for a hearing or vote. Instead, sitting at her kitchen table and almost without realizing what she was doing while talking with mothers who had reached out to her, Watts started what has quickly become one of the largest and most far-reaching organizations in American politics and an aspirational model for how a group of like-minded political amateurs can quickly move from liking each others’ social media posts to having a real impact on policy. She figured she would just join a group that existed-something like Mothers Against Drunk Driving, except for gun violence-sign up for a few events, write a check. It all started that day in December 2012, when 20 first-graders were mowed down at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, and a frustrated Watts wrote a Facebook post about the need for new gun laws. Right-wing provocateur Dana Loesch, before she went on the NRA payroll, showed up with a camera crew to confront Watts off-guard at a protest she was leading near the NRA’s annual meeting. The National Rifle Association regularly features her in its magazine. ![]() Threatening strangers have shown up at her house. Watts says the threats of violence and rape started coming in within 24 hours of the group’s formation.
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