Gabby Giffords & Mark Kelly Applaud Hawaii’s Legislators for Advancing Bill to Keep Guns Out of Hands of Stalkers & People with Sexual Assault Convictions

April 26, 2016 – Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and Navy combat veteran and NASA astronaut Capt. Mark Kelly, the Co-Founders of Americans for Responsible Solutions, applauded leaders in the Hawaii State Legislature today for advancing a bipartisan bill (House Bill 625) to close the loophole in Hawaii law that allows people with misdemeanor stalking and sexual assault convictions to legally buy guns.

The bill, which is supported by Americans for Responsible Solutions, now heads to Governor Ige’s desk.

“We applaud Hawaii’s leaders from both sides of the aisle who came together to close the loopholes that give dangerous people easy access to guns and to make Hawaii’s families safer,” said Congresswoman Giffords and Captain Kelly. “We are also grateful to the domestic violence survivors, advocates and public safety officials in Hawaii who used their voice to urge their elected officials to support this bipartisan bill. We urge Governor Ige to sign this responsible proposal into law and help add Hawaii’s name to the growing list of states around our country taking commonsense steps to keep guns out of the wrong hands and make their communities safer places to live.”

According to a 2014 study, 41.8 percent of women murdered in Hawaii are killed by an intimate partner in a domestic violence incident. Of those murders, more than 30 percent were committed with a gun. [Center for American Progress]