ARS PAC Endorses Ralph Northam For Virginia Governor

August 15, 2017

August 15, 2017— Americans for Responsible Solutions PAC (ARS PAC), the gun violence prevention organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and Navy Combat Veteran and retired NASA astronaut Captain Mark Kelly, announced today their endorsement of Lieutenant Governor Ralph Northam for Virginia Governor.

As an army veteran and doctor, Lieutenant Governor Northam has seen the destruction that firearms cause when they fall into the wrong hands. Throughout his distinguished tenure in public service, Lieutenant Governor Northam has been a champion for responsible gun violence prevention policies, and has made his long-standing commitment to the issue a hallmark of his gubernatorial campaign.

Captain Mark Kelly, Co-founder of Americans for Responsible Solutions:

“Virginia’s next governor will have an important role in combatting gun violence and advancing solutions to make communities safer and we believe Ralph Northam is exceptionally suited to take on that challenge. Lieutenant Governor Northam understands the importance of protecting the rights of law-abiding Virginians and keeping guns out of the hands of violent felons, domestic abusers, and other dangerous people. Throughout his life, as a veteran, doctor and public servant, Lieutenant Governor Northam has fought tirelessly to make Virginia a better, safer place to live. ”Every year, over 30,000 Americans are killed by a gun. Virginia has not been immune to this deadly crisis: somebody is killed with a gun in Virginia every 10 hours. Americans for Responsible Solutions PAC is proud to endorse Lieutenant Governor Northam, a leader who has the courage to stand up to the gun lobby and push for bipartisan, commonsense laws, like closing the loopholes in Virginia’s background check system, that will help prevent senseless gun tragedies and make Virginia families safer.”

Dr. Ralph Northam:

Where Lieutenant Governor Ralph Northam has demonstrated a clear commitment to protecting the rights and responsibilities of all Virginians, Ed Gillespie has shown that he is outside the mainstream. In 2014, the National Rifle Association gave Ed Gillespie an A-rating, boasting that he “opposes the so-called Obama-Bloomberg “universal” background check system. ” In the last gubernatorial debate, Ed Gillespie made it clear that he would allow individuals to openly carry firearms into state office buildings and oppose commonsense gun safety measures, like universal background checks, that the overwhelming majority of Virginians support.