Gun Safety Group Launches Ads Pushing Back on Gov. Sununu for Signing Bill to Put More Guns on the Streets

March 22, 2017

March 22, 2017 – Today, Americans for Responsible Solutions P AC (ARS PAC), the gun violence prevention organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and Navy combat veteran and NASA astronaut Captain Mark Kelly, launched a radio ad campaign holding New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu accountable for signing Senate Bill 12 into law, which puts more guns on the streets and threatens the safety of Granite Staters.

“I know that New Hampshire has a strong history and tradition of gun ownership and hunting,” says New Hampshire police officer Bill Barry in the new radio ad.“But as a father, I also know that we need to balance our rights with our responsibility to the safety of our kids and communities. We’ve all seen what can happen when a gun falls into the wrong hands.”

See the transcript here.

The law, Senate Bill 12, prevents local law enforcement from making important determinations that help keep guns out of dangerous hands and is opposed by the New Hampshire Association of Chiefs of Police. It does not include a duty-to-inform provision or any specific age restrictions, undoing reasonable standards that keep law enforcement safe.

“Being elected governor doesn’t give you the power to ignore your constituents – especially when it comes to public safety,” said Peter Ambler, Executive Director for Americans for Responsible Solutions. “Voters are going to have a choice to make in 2018 and deserve to know whether their elected officials are working in their best interest.”

ARS PAC invested more than $2.6 million into former Governor Maggie Hassan’s campaign for Senate, and ultimately defeated former Senator Kelly Ayotte for her failure to vote for commonsense gun laws that New Hampshire residents support.

Background on Americans for Responsible Solutions PAC’s Previous Support of Maggie Hassan’s Campaign and Work to Hold Kelly Ayotte Accountable

Endorsement of Maggie Hassan: In May, ARS PAC endorsed Democratic challenger Gov. Maggie Hassan as a Champion for the Vocal Majority for her commitment to lifesaving policies like background checks for all gun sales. It was ARS PAC’s first endorsement of 2016.
Over $2.6 Million Paid Media Campaign to Hold Ayotte Accountable: ARS PAC’s aggressive seven-figure paid media campaign featured a total of three television advertisements (“ Tick Tock ”, “ Safety,” and “ Mislead,”), as well as digital ads, to hold Ayotte accountable for her record of voting to protect loopholes in federal law that let dangerous people like felons and domestic abusers buy guns without a criminal background check in unlicensed sales at gun shows and through the internet. Click here to read a memo on Senator Ayotte’s record of voting against requiring criminal background checks for more gun sales.
Giffords, Kelly, and Their “Vocal Majority Tour” Come to New Hampshire: On October 13th, Co-Founder Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords visited New Hampshire as part of the 16-state, 42-day national bus tour, the Vocal Majority Tour. She and Captain Kelly returned to the state on November 7th as part of their ongoing tour to elect Champions for the Vocal Majority of Americans who want responsible change that reduce gun violence, and to encourage Americans to vote to stop gun violence this election.
“Granite State Majority” Grassroots Campaign: ARS PAC also partnered with Granite State Progress to launch a grassroots campaign, the “Granite State Majority,” which included a coalition of grassroots leaders from across New Hampshire who attended Sen. Ayotte’s public events to hold her accountable for standing with the Washington gun lobby.