Devine Mulvey

Posted April 30, 2009 4:40 p.m.

Two years ago, Reema Samaha was shot and killed, along with 31 other victims at Virginia Tech.  Her killer got his guns because of a gap in Virginia’s gun background checks.  Now, Reema’s family and others are wondering why former Virginia Attorney General (and current candidate for Governor) Bob McDonnell wants to keep open a loophole which allows convicted criminals to purchase guns without a background check.  

In this ad for Americans United for Safe Streets, Reema’s brother Omar asks why McDonnell is worried about “protecting criminals instead of protecting us.”  Although the ad only ran in Virginia, it’s impact was felt all over the nation, as it was subsequently featured on 173 news stations to an audience of almost 37 million viewers, earning AUSS an estimated $12.5 Million of media.