Hartford, CT – The NRA plans to hold a fundraiser tonight, complete with a raffle including handguns and an assault rifle, the night before students across Connecticut plan to organize to protest the NRA and the inaction of Congress to prevent mass shootings. Which event will Republican gubernatorial candidates choose to participate in?

The NRA has lobbied against commonsense legislation to prevent gun violence and the CCDL continues to lobby against a bump stock ban in Connecticut, despite the fact that there have been 306 school shootings since Sandy Hook. The NRA has made the decision to hold a fundraiser the night before March for Our Lives, despite Connecticut’s personal and painful history with school shootings. Republican gubernatorial candidates need to let voters know if they plan to attend.

Democratic elected officials are standing with students in Connecticut demanding legislators take action to prevent further gun violence. Republican gubernatorial candidates need to decide if they are going to stand with Connecticut students and families or with the NRA.

“Students and supporters will turn out to March for Our Lives on Saturday, and it’s disgraceful that the NRA would hold a fundraiser in Connecticut the night before,” said Connecticut Democratic Party Communications Director Christina Polizzi. “The NRA has systematically and, unfortunately, successfully lobbied against policies that would prevent mass shootings from happening again. Republicans’ silence on plans to prevent gun violence is shocking and irresponsible. In our state, the choice between an NRA fundraiser and a rally to protect students should be an easy decision for a candidate running to lead Connecticut. And unfortunately, for Republican candidates, it’s not.”