Republican donor Al Hoffman Jr. announced the launch of an advocacy organization on Saturday that will push Congress to pass comprehensive gun reform.
The launch of the group — Americans for Gun Safety Now! — was timed to take place against the backdrop of the March for Our Lives demonstrations unfolding in Washington, DC, and across the country in support of stricter gun control.
“Americans for Gun Safety Now! is honored to stand in solidarity with the thousands of students, including survivors of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre, to rally for change in our nation’s capital,” Hoffman said in a statement.
According to the organization’s website, Americans for Gun Safety Now will call on Congress to take a number of steps that would tighten gun control as part of a legislative package. Those include eliminating bump stocks, limiting high-capacity magazines and armor-piercing ammunition and expanding universal background checks.
A press release publicizing the new group says it has support from a diverse range of stakeholders, from elected officials to business leaders.
Hoffman, a Florida real estate developer, served as the US ambassador to Portugal under former President George W. Bush and was a Republican National Committee finance chairman. Last month, he told CNN’s Ana Cabrera that he planned to withhold money from politicians who will not support an assault weapons ban, an ultimatum he issued in the aftermath of the mass shooting at a Parkland, Florida, high school that left 17 people dead.