Million Mom March
A counter-rally by the pro-gun rights Second Amendment Sisters was also held on the same day.
The Million Mom March had its roots in August 1999, when New Jersey resident Donna Dees-Thomases saw broadcast coverage of the Los Angeles Jewish Community Center shooting rampage in Granada Hills, California. Dees-Thomases decided a week later to apply for a permit to march on Washington and protest the lack of "meaningful gun laws" in America. In September 1999, she was joined by 25 Tri-State mothers at a news conference in Manhattan, and announced that a grassroots movement of mothers called the "Million Mom March" would march on Washington.
As is usual with anti-gun events, the march was fawningly covered by most major media outlets, including but not limited to, CBS, ABC & NBC Newses, The Today Show, Good Morning America, Oprah, Rosie O'Donnell, MSNBC, CNN, and an assortment of partridges in pear trees.
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Background
Following the event, the Million Mom March participants became a chapter-based organization to promote restrictions on the private ownership of firearms in state legislatures, merging with a victim led organization called the Bell Campaign, but keeping the name "Million Mom March" as the new organization.
Donna Dees-Thomases was also a professional publicist who was:
- a former Capitol Hill staff member for two Democratic Senators - Bennett Johnston (D-LA) and Russell Long (D-LA).
- a former Manager of Communications for CBS News in New York.
- a former professional public relations specialist for Dan Rather at CBS News who oversaw his "Campaign '88" press coverage.
- a sister-in-law of Susan Thomases, political adviser and close friend of Hillary Clinton.
The group Donna Dees-Thomases founded stated their beliefs as:
All Americans have the right to be safe from gun violence in their homes, neighborhoods, schools, and places of work and worship. All children have the right to grow up in environments free from the threat of gun violence. Gun violence is a public health crisis that harms not only the physical, but also the spiritual, social, and economic health of our families and communities. The availability and lethality of guns make death or severe injury more likely in domestic violence, criminal activity, suicide attempts, and unintentional shootings. It is possible to reduce the number of deaths and injuries caused by gun violence with reasonable, common sense policy. 
The organization voices the usual opposition to various semi-automatic firearms being legal and made a pastime of hectoring the National Rifle Association and other gun rights and sportsmen's groups. Since 2001 they have been affiliated with the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. The Million Mom March, which started as allegedly one of the largest protest marches on Washington, presently claims to have a national network of 75 local chapters around the U.S.
In spite of their impressive claims of big membership, however, they don't seem to be able to afford a website: the domain "www.millionmommarch.org" redirects to the website for the Brady Campaign. With "75 chapters," you'd think they could find someone who knows HTML kicking around...
Controversial use of 501(c)(3) tax-exempt money
A major controversy erupted in the spring of 2000 when a newspaper column by J.R. Labbe (Fort Worth Star-Telegram) revealed that the Million Mom March was apparently using 501(c)(3) tax-exempt money to support a political campaign. "Perhaps they need a background check on their tax knowledge"[2] states in part:
The Million Mom March is violating federal law. At least that's the view from here. ...Again, MMM's Web site: “We have 501-c(3) status as a nonprofit tax entity .... Contributions are tax deductible.” How can this be, you ask, when federal tax law expressly prohibits 501(c)(3) nonprofits from engaging in political activity?
The controversy spread like a cold on a submarine as conservative news sources picked up on the story. "Clinton friend leads Million Mom March Is organization violating federal nonprofit regulations?" reports in part:
Critics of the Million Mom March organization say that the group is not only spending a "substantial" portion of its activities on prohibited lobbying efforts, but a statement published on its website, they say, may also be in direct violation of the rules prohibiting electioneering. On its site, the Million Mom March openly criticizes House Majority Whip Tom DeLay, R-Texas, for his pro-gun stance and makes a thinly veiled threat to unseat the congressional leader."[3]
Use of taxpayer funding
Another controversial aspect of the Million Mom March was the extensive and secretive use of taxpayer funds to support an event that was obviously a lobbying enterprise directed at federal and state legislators. One example included Tim Kaine, then mayor of Richmond, Virginia, who used several thousand dollars of Richmond city taxpayers' money to hire buses and throw a party for about 400 Richmonders recruited for the event. After concerns were raised, Kaine did an about-face and the city was reimbursed with money raised privately. However, there were other governmental bodies across the nation that similarly used taxpayer funds to support the march.
Liquidation of the original Million Mom March
As shown by the Million Mom March's 2001 Form 990 tax return, the original Million Mom March liquidated in 2001. "Effective August 2001 the Million Mom March Foundation transfer its assets to the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence another 501(c) (3) organization and is now united with them. This will be our final 990 tax return." Guess that explains the redirect.
See also
References
- ↑ [http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/05/13/moms.gun.control/ 'Million Mom March' draws 100 for gun control], CNN, May 13, 2001
- ↑ "Perhaps they need a background check on their tax knowledge" by J.R. Labbe, Knight Ridder Newspapers, May 10, 2000
- ↑ "Clinton friend leads Million Mom March" by Jon E. Dougherty, World Net Daily, May 11, 2000]
