Gabby Giffords & Mark Kelly Applaud Hawaii Governor David Ige’s Signing of Bipartisan Legislation to Help Keep Guns Out of Hands of Stalkers & People With Sexual Assault Convictions

June 23, 2016 – Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and Navy combat veteran and retired NASA astronaut Captain Mark Kelly, the Co-Founders of Americans for Responsible Solutions, applauded Hawaii Governor David Ige’s signature today of a bipartisan proposal, House Bill 625, which will help keep guns out of the wrong hands and save lives by closing loopholes in Hawaii law that allow people with misdemeanor stalking and sexual assault convictions to legally buy guns.

“This is a major victory for common sense and another defeat for the gun lobby.Republicans and Democrats came together to do the responsible thing: make commonsense changes to Hawaii’s laws that respect the rights of law-abiding Hawaiians, will help guns out of the hands of dangerous people, and make Hawaii a safer place to live,” said Congresswoman Giffords and Captain Kelly. “We are grateful to the domestic violence survivors, advocates, and public safety officials from across Hawaii who called on their elected officials to support this bipartisan change to strengthen Hawaii’s gun laws. And we are grateful to Governor Ige for signing this bill that will help protect Hawaiians from gun violence.”

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]