President Obama may be tapping the philanthropic sector for support in gun violence prevention measures.
As part of President Barack Obama’s gun violence prevention efforts, the White House placed a call to several nonprofits -- none of which are gun control groups -- to determine their level of support for stronger gun control legislation, Politico reports.
The White House declined to comment about the call with foundations including Open Society Institute, the McCormick Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the California Endowment, the news outlet reports.
“There’s only one reason why you get a bunch of deep-pocketed funders on the phone,” a participant on the call told Politico. “It’s not because they’re great dancers. It’s because at the end of the day you need to tap into them for something.”
Pressure for stronger gun control legislation stems from the Dec. 14 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting that led to 27 deaths, including 20 children, six adults and the shooter, according to the AP.
Since the tragedy, nonprofit organizations like the Brady Campaign and the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence which lobby for gun control have reported a spike in donations, the Huffington Post reports.
"People are desperate to do something to make sure that this does not happen again, a mass shooting in a kindergarten classroom," Sarah Hench, director of development at the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence told HuffPost.
Gun-rights supporters see the situation differently. Many have reacted to the White House’s discussions on gun control by calling for a national "Gun Appreciation Day" on Jan. 19, Fox News reports.
Vice President Joe Biden is scheduled to meet with video game representatives on Friday to examine cultural factors that contribute to gun violence, the AP reports. Biden’s task force, which has also met with Comcast Corp. and the Motion Picture Association of America, will report its recommendations to President Barack Obama on Tuesday, according to the news outlet.
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