Representative Robert Garcia wholeheartedly believes that Congress must take action to save lives by passing responsible gun safety legislation. As the former mayor of Long Beach, California, Representative Garcia spent eight years publicly supporting commonsense gun regulation at the state and local level, and in his first term in Congress, he has eagerly continued to work on addressing this life-or-death issue as part of a new generation of federal leaders.

As an openly gay Latino man, Representative Garcia acutely understands the disproportionate effect that gun violence and hate crimes have on communities of color—and as a former educator, he is appalled by our government’s inability to keep children safe in our schools. Representative Garcia believes we need swift and sweeping changes to our gun laws, and as a member of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, he’s been a fierce advocate for passing universal background checks, banning assault weapons and large-capacity magazines, and implementing national extreme risk laws. He’s also introduced lifesaving legislation like the AMMO Act, which would require background checks for ammunition purchases, prohibit bulk sales of ammunition, and require businesses who sell ammunition to obtain the same federal license as firearms dealers. 

Representative Garcia’s leadership on gun safety in Congress is the continuation of years of dedicated work on this issue. During his tenure as mayor, Representative Garcia never let up on efforts to end gun violence in his city and frequently joined forces with local law enforcement and community groups to improve public safety. Together, they developed and implemented numerous violence prevention programs, like the Neighborhood Walks program, which encouraged officers to walk in Long Beach neighborhoods, interact with residents and businesses, and restore police-community trust. 

With so much on the line this November, it’s more important than ever that we restore a gun safety majority in the House by reelecting gun safety champions from coast to coast—champions like Representative Garcia. We know he has the courage to act to end gun violence, and the people of Southern California deserve a legislator like him who will always put their well-being first. We know that Representative Robert Garcia will always stand on the right side of this issue and will never stop striving to build a safer future for the next generation.

We are proud to endorse Robert Garcia for the US House of Representatives.