The Job’s Not Done
The gun violence prevention movement must celebrate our successes and recommit ourselves to our mission to save lives.
When we started GIFFORDS 10 years ago, the gun violence prevention movement could barely be called a movement. There were advocates and organizations doing great work, but their voices and wallets were dwarfed by the NRA—and elected leaders willing to lead on the issue were few and far between. After the horrific shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary, the pleas of grieving parents were drowned out by an obstinate gun lobby’s backroom threats. As the tragedy faded from the headlines, calculating Washington politicians handcuffed to the politics of the past blocked efforts to tighten background checks in the Senate.
Our movement lost, but learned a valuable lesson: We needed to become stronger.
Since then, we have gotten stronger. And we’re continuing to build on that strength.
In the aftermath of the Buffalo and Uvalde mass shootings last year, Congress immediately took action to protect American communities from gun violence. Congress passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) at the end of June, the first major gun safety bill signed into law in nearly three decades. This lifesaving legislation strengthened background checks for purchasers under 21, allocated significant funding for community violence intervention programs, incentivized states to establish and implement extreme risk laws, and addressed the intimate partner loophole and the scourge of gun trafficking.
Implementing the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act: One Year In
Jun 26, 2023
Progress was also made in the states. In 2022, 21 states and Washington DC passed 91 gun safety bills, bringing the total since 2012 to more than 525. Following the Buffalo shooting, with the help of groups like GIFFORDS, New York enacted bills to raise the purchase age for semiautomatic rifles to 21, ban civilian sale of body armor, and tighten restrictions on assault weapons. After years of work to gain gun safety majorities in Michigan and Minnesota, GIFFORDS was instrumental in helping both states pass sweeping legislative packages to make their communities safer. However, the patchwork nature of state laws leaves all Americans vulnerable. Weak laws in one state are a threat to Americans in all states.
Building nationwide political power can be slow, often maddeningly so. But the past year has shown that our movement has a lot to be proud of. While the gun lobby has passed dangerous legislation like permitless carry in some states, 2023 has seen some surprising movement even in conservative states dominated by Republicans.
Following the devastating shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, Republican governor Bill Lee issued an executive order to strengthen background checks and announced a special legislative session where he will push for a law to authorize extreme risk protection orders (also known as “red flag” laws). Vermont’s Republican governor listened to constituents and allowed important gun safety measures, including safe storage and a 72-hour waiting period, to become law. More surprising still, a bipartisan majority of a Texas legislative committee voted in support of raising the minimum age to purchase certain semiautomatic rifles from 18 to 21.
We have a long way to go, but we cannot overlook the fact that even Republicans in conservative states are beginning to understand that inaction is not an option. More and more traditional allies of the gun lobby are joining GIFFORDS in saying that it is possible to respect gun rights AND support commonsense laws that save lives.
As the first major gun legislation in 30 years, the BSCA was a good start—which is why it has the support of 76% of voters in battleground states. But the violent start to this month serves as a reminder that taking on the epidemic of gun violence requires our leaders to do more. The American people are demanding their leaders take action. As President Biden said at Senator Chris Murphy’s (D-Conn.) Safer Communities Summit in Connecticut last month, “We are not finished. We are not finished. We are not finished.” Once again, the American people agree with the president.
Recent polling revealed that “access to firearms” is Americans’ top public health concern, with one-third of voters saying gun violence is the most important issue for Congress to focus on—more than abortion, immigration, crime, and health care. Large majorities of voters are in agreement about solutions to gun violence, with more than three-fourths supporting measures such as universal background checks, extreme risk protection orders, gun industry accountability, licensing requirements to purchase weapons, and required safety training. This includes the vast majority of Republicans.
Ten years after GIFFORDS started and a year after the heartbreaking tragedies in Buffalo, Uvalde, and Highland Park, America is closer than ever to taking real, meaningful steps to reduce gun violence. Progress has been made, but the American people know that the job is not done. The gun violence prevention movement must celebrate our successes and recommit ourselves to doing the work. Or as my friend and hero, Gabby, says, “We must never stop fighting—fight, fight, fight.”
REPORT
10 YEARS of COURAGE
Since founding Giffords in the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting, we’ve helped pass a remarkable 525 significant gun safety laws in 49 states.
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