The fight for a future free from gun violence begins at the ballot box. In most elections, your ballot includes candidates running for office up and down the ballot. These candidates can include people running for local, state, and federal offices. And leaders at each level of the ballot can do something about gun violence.
Federal candidates can get a lot of attention, especially during presidential election years. However, it is important to remember that all candidates make a difference.
Elections are not about choosing one leader. They are about choosing the future we want for our country: A future where our kids can grow up without the fear of gun violence, where our communities are safe, and where common-sense gun laws are a reality.
Keep reading to learn more about how leaders at every level of the ballot can take action on gun safety.
Local Offices
School Board
School boards are governing bodies responsible for public education within a community. School boards can also be called boards of education.
Boards typically operate at the district or county level. They work to serve the students and families who attend public school by:
- Implementing state and district policies,
- Managing the budget for schools, and
- Setting goals for the quality of education.
Most importantly, school boards are tasked with representing the community’s values and beliefs while prioritizing students’ success and safety in school.
School boards are the building blocks of politics in the American system. They can determine everything from who serves as a district’s superintendent to what textbooks and what books teachers can include in their curriculums.
School boards can also impact gun safety through measures such as:
- Secure storage resolutions
- Investing in increased mental health support
- Reconsidering how active shooter drills are run
- Integrating community violence intervention programs into schools
Example: School Board Action on Gun Safety
During the 2022-2023 school year, Students Demand Action volunteers at RJ Reynolds and Reagan High Schools in North Carolina advocated for their school boards to pass a secure storage resolution. In May 2023, the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools Board of Education unanimously passed a resolution requiring the school district to communicate with parents on the life-saving importance of secure firearm storage.
City or County Legislatures
Local legislators serve the city or county. Common names for local legislatures include the council, the board, the board of aldermen, the board of selectmen, the assembly, or the legislature (typically preceded by the term “city” or county”). Local legislators work with mayors, county executives, and other municipal leaders and serve as the local “legislative body.”
Among other responsibilities, local legislators can:
- Introduce new laws
- Help to set and/or approve the city or county budget
- Approve key municipal appointments
Local legislatures can take action on gun safety in various ways, including by:
- Allocating funding to data-informed gun violence reduction strategies;
- Introducing legislation shown to reduce gun violence and save lives, such as those that mandate secure gun storage.
Example: Local Legislative Action on Gun Safety
In 2024, the Prince George’s County City Council in Maryland enacted a gun safety bill focused on suicide prevention and mental health resources. The bill requires firearm and/or ammunition sellers—as defined within the bill’s text—to prominently post information in the store about:
- Gun and firearm safety,
- Suicide prevention,
- Mental health, and
- Conflict resolution.
Mayors
While the authority of the mayor varies depending on the structure of their local government, mayors are typically the executive leaders of their cities, towns, or municipalities.
Keeping their communities safe is a top priority for mayors. They can take action on gun safety in a host of ways, including:
- Setting and implementing key policies,
- Investing in data-informed gun violence reduction strategies,
- Leading and managing city employees providing key services to constituents,
- Approving or vetoing local ordinances passed by the legislature,
- Naming people to positions of power within the city, including leaders of public service departments; and
- Even filing lawsuits against bad actors in the gun industry.
Example: Mayoral Action on Gun Safety
In 2024, under the leadership of Mayor Brandon Johnson, the City of Chicago filed a first-of-its-kind lawsuit against the gun manufacturer Glock, Inc. First filed in March 2024, the City’s lawsuit alleges that Glock unreasonably endangers Chicagoans by manufacturing semiautomatic pistols in such a way that they can be easily converted into illegal machine guns in a matter of minutes with a cheap quarter-sized device called an “auto sear.”
District Attorney
District Attorneys (DAs)—also called County Attorneys, State Attorneys, and Commonwealth Attorneys, depending on the state you reside in—are also known as prosecutors. They are typically elected officials. They represent the state in criminal cases and prosecute individuals accused of crimes. They also help shape criminal legal policies in their area.
DAs work with law enforcement agencies to investigate crimes, determine charges, and then present evidence in court. DAs also work with victims and witnesses to protect their rights.
Example: District Attorney Action on Gun Safety
Jeff Rosen, the District Attorney of Santa Clara County, CA, runs a Community Prosecution Unit through his office. The program is designed to bring together a technical team of law enforcement and government partners around an assigned community prosecutor to work together to improve public safety and coordinate with local government and community-based organizations, addressing the root causes of community violence. The program serves three primary functions:
- Neighborhood crime prevention
- Truancy abatement, and
- Parent education.
State Offices
State Legislature or General Assembly
These elected officials hold office in a state’s Senate and House of Representatives (also called the “State Assembly” or “House of Delegates” in some states).
State-level representatives and senators amplify the wants and needs of their constituents. Members of state legislatures can research, write, and/or introduce legislation. They also vote for whether bills introduced by other legislature members should become law. In addition to other responsibilities, state legislators can vote to create government agencies and also have a say in setting these agencies’ policies and budgets.
State legislatures can take action on gun safety in various ways, including by:
- Allocating funding to community violence intervention programs; and
- Introducing legislation shown to reduce gun violence and save lives, such as those that mandate secure gun storage.
Example: State Legislature Action on Gun Safety
At the conclusion of the 2024 legislative session, state legislatures across the country had passed more than 100 gun safety policies that included:
- Passing and strengthening secure storage resolutions;
- Investing in community violence intervention programs; and
- Strengthening background check and waiting period requirements to purchase a firearm.
State Attorneys General
State Attorneys General are elected by popular vote in most states and territories. They act as the chief legal officer for their state. State Attorneys General responsibilities include:
- Enforcing laws;
- Conducting criminal prosecutions and appeals;
- Representing their state and/or state agencies in court; and
- Bringing civil suits on behalf of the state.
State Attorneys General can take action on gun safety by protecting the rights of victims of crimes. This protection includes operating victims compensation programs. These programs provide funding and assistance to victims and survivors of violent crime, including gun violence.
Example: State Attorneys General Action on Gun Safety
In September 2024, Everytown Law partnered with the Attorneys General for the District of Columbia and Maryland to sue three Maryland gun stores for their allegedly unlawful gun sales, which endangered the Washington, D.C. metro area. The lawsuit alleges that each gun store engaged in repeated straw sales which fueled the illegal distribution of firearms throughout the region, including by a prolific straw purchaser who trafficked more than two dozen handguns in 2021.
Through this lawsuit, D.C. and Maryland seek to hold the stores accountable for their violations of state and federal laws against the facilitation of straw purchases and to prevent future unlawful sales.
Governor
State governors function as the executive head of the state. They oversee the operation of the state executive branch.
Governors can often implement—or veto—laws passed by the state legislature. They can also issue executive orders, including in times of crisis or emergency. In addition to other responsibilities, state governors can approve state budgets. These budgets determine what programs, resources, and services receive funding.
Governors can have a significant impact on gun safety for people in their state by signing laws shown to reduce rates of gun violence and save lives. They can also allocate funding in their budgets to violence intervention programs.
Example: State Governor Action on Gun Safety
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz navigated a one-vote majority in the state Senate and a narrow margin in the state House to sign a critical public safety omnibus bill into law in 2023. This package included multiple foundational gun safety measures to:
- Close a dangerous gap in Minnesota’s background check law;
- Create an Extreme Risk law to limit firearm access by individuals in crisis;
- Expand access to community violence intervention funding; and
- Create new restrictions on the use of no-knock search warrants.
Federal Office
Congress
Elected members of Congress serve in either the House of Representatives or the Senate. Members of Congress represent their constituents. Among other powers, Congress can:
- Enact legislation,
- Declare war, and
- Control government spending through “the power of the purse.”
Congress can take action on gun safety by introducing legislation on common-sense measures shown to reduce gun violence and save lives, such as enhanced background checks.
Example: Congressional Action on Gun Safety
In 2022, Congress passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), a historic gun safety, mental health, and school safety bill. BSCA broke a nearly 30-year logjam on Congressional action on gun safety. BSCA established enhanced background checks for firearm purchasers under the age of 21. It also allocated more than $1.5 billion for states and communities to:
- Make our schools safer,
- Improve access to mental health services, and
- Help young people deal with the trauma and grief resulting from gun violence.
President of the United States
The people of the United States elect the members of the Electoral College, who in turn elect the President.
The President is the head of the executive branch. Among numerous responsibilities and powers, the President can sign into law—or veto—bills that are enacted by Congress. The President can also nominate justices to serve on the Supreme Court. The President also appoints members of their executive cabinet. The cabinet members serve as the heads of federal agencies. They also enforce federal laws and advise the President on their area of expertise.
The President can take action on gun safety in many ways. They can allocate portions of the budget to funding for community violence intervention programs. They can also work with federal agencies, like the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Department of Justice, to combat gun violence.
Example: Presidential Action on Gun Safety
The Biden-Harris administration has been the strongest gun safety administration in U.S. history. In 2023, the administration established the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention. Vice President Kamala Harris oversees the Office, which is tasked with four key responsibilities:
- Coordinating the federal response to mass shootings and concentrations of community gun violence;
- Expanding state and local partnerships to help reduce gun violence;
- Developing and implementing executive actions on gun safety to save lives; and
- Implementing the landmark Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) and other federal gun violence prevention laws.
Gun Safety Is on the Ballot
Guns are the number one killer of kids, teens, and college-aged youth in the United States. Young people deserve to go to school, go to class, and grow up without the fear of gun violence. And from the White House to school boards, we can vote for lawmakers who will put our lives first.
Use our candidate look-up tool to find candidates up and down your ballot who will govern with gun safety in mind.