2020 Democratic hopefuls to attend anti-gun violence forum in Iowa

Several Democratic presidential hopefuls are expected to attend an anti-gun violence forum this weekend in the wake of two mass shootings in Texas and Ohio.

Ten candidates overall are slated to attend the event in Des Moines, Iowa, on Saturday that will be hosted by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund, Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action.

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Former Vice President Joe Biden, Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, South Bend, Ind. Mayor Pete Buttigieg, former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro, Sen. Kamala Harris (Calif.), former Gov. John Hickenlooper (Colo.), Gov. Jay Inslee (Wash.), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), Vermon Sen. Bernie Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) have all vowed to attend, according to a statement released Wednesday by the groups, which have called for reforms to U.S. guns laws.

At the forum, the candidates are slated to discuss how they will address gun violence amid renewed scrutiny of the issue following the two mass shootings over the weekend in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, that left more than 30 people dead and dozens more injured.

“There has never been more momentum in the gun safety movement than there is right now, but political inaction continues to take a tragic toll,” said Michael R. Bloomberg, former mayor of New York City who finances much of Everytown for Gun Safety. “The shootings in El Paso and Dayton have rightly outraged Americans, and we are going to make sure that gun safety is front and center in this presidential election – something that is long overdue.”

“There has never been a more urgent time for 2020 candidates to tell Americans exactly how they will address gun violence,” added Everytown for Gun Safety President John Feinblatt. “Now more than ever, Americans need to focus on the role the next President and our other elected officials will play in determining the safety of our children.” 

Many of the Democrats running for the party’s 2020 nomination have called for stricter gun laws and other efforts to stem gun violence after the mass shootings over the weekend.

Updated on Wednesday at 4:35 p.m.