The Sandy Hook Promise Action Fund is a gun violence prevention group based in Newtown, Connecticut, formed by families of victims of the 2012 school mass shooting in the town. The organization has advocated for some gun control policies, though the organization does not focus on lobbying and advocacy for gun control.

It was founded by Nicole Hockley in 2013. She is the mother of Dylan Hockley, who was killed at in a mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14th, 2012.

Sandy Hook Promise Action Fund is the 501(c)(4) advocacy and lobbying arm of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit Sandy Hook Promise Foundation.

Advocacy

Sandy Hook Promise Action Fund lobbies for legislation advocating for school safety and gun control at both the federal level and the state level.

At the state level, the group advocates for a “Model School Safety Policy.” The Model School Safety Policy is a piece of model legislation that would require schools to implement four specific policies. The policies it lists are a school threat assessment, student safety and violence prevention training, school personnel and student suicide prevention training, and an anonymous reporting system.¹

It is also pushing for states to pass Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs).² ERPOs, also known as Gun Violence Restraining Orders, are proposed laws to enable a spouse, parent, sibling, or person living with an individual suspected of mental illness or fleeting violent tendencies to petition a court for an order enabling law enforcement to temporarily take that individual’s guns right away for a set period of time.³

The Sandy Hook Promise organizations also support “restrictions on magazine and caliber size ammunition.”⁴ The group praised the advancement of a set of gun control proposals in New Jersey in 2014.⁵

In August 2018, Sandy Hook Promise issued a press release that opposed the proposed plan by the Department of Education to provide funding to arm teachers. The press release encouraged people to call the office of Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos to discourage adoption of the program.⁶

Lobbying

Spending

In 2013, Sandy Hook Promise Action spent $160,000 on lobbying at the federal level. In 2014, it spent $20,000 on lobbying. In 2015, it spent $30,000 on lobbying. In 2016, it spent $80,000 on lobbying. In 2017, it spent $75,000 on lobbying. Through September 10, 2018, it had spent $60,000 on lobbying in 2018.⁷

Issues Lobbied

In the 113th Congress (2013-2014), Sandy Hook Promise lobbied for three major pieces of gun control and school safety legislation.⁸ The Public Safety and Second Amendment Rights Protection Act of 2013, which was introduced by Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.), sought to reauthorize the grant program for improvements to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, as well as to establish the National Commission on Mass Violence, which would study issues related to firearms and mass violence.⁹

The Safe Communities, Safe Schools Act of 2013, which was introduced by Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nevada), would have expanded background checks on firearm purchases, increase restrictions on straw purchasing, and increase security at schools.¹⁰ The Mental Health Awareness and Improvement Act of 2013 introduced by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) sought to reauthorize funding for suicide prevention programs and child trauma centers, as well as create a mental health awareness training program.¹¹

In the 115th Congress (2017-2018), Sandy Hook Promise lobbied for the Wireless Telecommunications Tax and Fee Collection Fairness Act introduced by Rep. Ed Royce (R-California), an appropriations bill that included a provision that dealt with improving reporting by the Department of Defense to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System;¹² the Student, Teachers, and Officers Preventing School Violence Act of 2018 introduced by Rep. John Rutherford (R-Florida) and U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) to reauthorize security grants to schools;^{13 14} and  the Science Appropriations Act 2019, an appropriations bill that contained a provision to upgrade criminal and mental health records for the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.^{15 16}

Leadership

The executive director of Sandy Hook Promise Action Fund is Tim Makris. Makris is the father of Philip Makris, who was killed at in a mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14th, 2012.¹⁷

1. The Sandy Hook Promise Action Fund. Accessed September 26, 2018. https://www.sandyhookpromise.org/action_fund
2. The Sandy Hook Promise Action Fund. Accessed September 26, 2018. https://www.sandyhookpromise.org/action_fund
3. French, David. “A Gun-Control Measure Conservatives Should Consider.” National Review. February 16, 2018.  https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/02/gun-control-republicans-consider-grvo/
4. “FAQ.” Sandy Hook Promise. Accessed September 28, 2018. https://www.sandyhookpromise.org/faq.
5. “NJ Bill That Limits Ammunition Magazines to 10 Rounds Passes Assembly With Help From Grassroots Activism.” Sandy Hook Promise. May 23, 2014. Accessed September 28, 2018. https://www.sandyhookpromise.org/nj_bill_that_limits_ammunition_magazines_to_10_rounds_passes_assembly_with_help_from_grassroots_activism.
6. Sandy Hook Promise. “Sandy Hook Promise Condemns the Department of Education Grant to Fund Arming Teachers.” PR Newswire. August 28, 2018. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sandy-hook-promise-condemns-the-department-of-education-grant-to-fund-arming-teachers-300701674.html
7. “The Center for Responsive Politics.” OpenSecrets.org. Accessed September 20, 2018. https://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/clientsum.php?id=F194262&year=2018
8. “The Center for Responsive Politics.” OpenSecrets.org. Accessed September 20, 2018. https://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/clientbills.php?id=F194262&year=2013
9. “H.R.1565 – Public Safety and Second Amendment Rights Protection Act of 2013.” https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-bill/1565
10. “S.649 – Safe Communities, Safe Schools Act of 2013.” https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/senate-bill/649
11. “S.689 – Mental Health Awareness and Improvement Act of 2013.” https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/senate-bill/689
12. “H.R.1625 – Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018.” https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/1625/
13. “H.R.4909 – STOP School Violence Act of 2018.” https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/4909
14. “S.2495 – STOP School Violence Act of 2018.” https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/2495
15. “H.R.5952 – Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2019.” https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/5952
16. “S.3072 – Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2019.” https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/3072
17. Morioka, Sharon. “Preventing Tragedy.” Michigan Alumnus. Fall 2016. http://alumnus.alumni.umich.edu/preventing-tragedy/