Former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge (R) is stepping down from his role as an advisor with with former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s new gun control umbrella group, according to The Daily Caller.
“When I signed on as an advisor to Everytown, I looked forward to a thoughtful and provocative discussion about the toll gun violence takes on Americans,” Ridge told The Daily Caller in a statement issued through a spokesman. “After consultation with Everytown, I have decided that I am uncomfortable with their expected electoral work… Therefore, we have decided that we will pursue this issue in our separate spheres.”
Bloomberg recently brought together two groups he supports, Mayors Against Illegal Guns and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, under the umbrella of a new group called Everytown for Gun Safety. Bloomberg also announced his plan to spend $50 million to counter the National Rifle Association and build, as The New York Times put it earlier this month, “a nationwide grass-roots network to motivate voters who feel strongly about curbing gun violence.”
Ridge, currently the CEO of risk management firm Ridge Global, served under President Bush as the first secretary of Department of Homeland Security.
