Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg pledged $50 million to create a group aimed at lessening gun violence, USA TODAY reported.
The move, first reported by the New York Times, will push stronger background checks for firearm buyers at both state and national levels.
Organizers of the new organization, called Everytown for Gun Safety, hope to attract a support network of 2.5 million people. Additionally, two groups Bloomberg has vocally supported -- Mayors Against Illegal Guns and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America -- will join their efforts and focus on female outreach, USA TODAY said.
"You've got to work at it piece by piece," Bloomberg told the Times. "One mom and another mom. You've got to wear them down until they finally say, 'Enough.'"
Erika Soto Lamb, a spokeswoman for the organization, said the group will focus on grassroots organizing more than television ads.
Bloomberg said gun control groups need to be more outspoken in their fight against escalating gun violence.
"We've got to make them afraid of us," he said, referring to pro-gun groups like the National Rifle Association (NRA).
Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action, said their collective effort is also aiming to make gun violence a major issue during elections.
"Right now, women, when they go to the polls, they vote on abortion, they vote on jobs, they vote on health care," Watts told the Times. "We want one of those things to be gun violence prevention."
The former mayor also made an effort to cross party lines by creating a board of both Democratic and Republican officials, philanthropists, and investors, the Times said.
