Gun-Safety Activist Shannon Watts on How to Fight Like a Mom and Beat the NRA

On today's show, Shannon Watts discusses her meteoric rise from stay-at-home mom to the NRA's worst nightmare, with Mother Jones’ editor-in-chief Clara Jeffery, during a taped live event at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco in June. After the Sandy Hook massacre, Watts created a Facebook page and was soon inundated by others from all over the country who wanted to get involved. In the six years since, the grassroots organization, Moms Demand Action, has grown into one of the most effective gun reform groups in the country. Legions of dedicated mothers show up in red shirts to lobby members of Congress, state legislatures, and companies into supporting gun reform. So far, they’ve pushed 20 states into passing gun-safety legislation and have successfully persuaded Starbucks, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and other businesses into banning to ban firearms from their stores. Now, with her new book, "Fight Like a Mother"—part-memoir, part-guide for activists—Watts hopes to continue to empower more people ahead of the all-important 2020 election season. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices