Captain Mark Kelly, Virginia Gun Safety Advocates Call On Ed Gillespie To Release NRA Questionnaire

October 6, 2017

October 6, 2017 — In the wake of the Las Vegas tragedy, CaptainMarkKelly, the Co-Founder of Americans for Responsible Solutions, joined with gunsafetyadvocatestoday in Alexandria today to urge Virginians to elect leaders who will stand up to the gun lobby and callonNRA-endorsed candidate EdGillespietorelease his NRAquestionnaire. Throughout his Virginia gubernatorial campaign, EdGillespie has touted his NRA endorsement, but has refused to disclose whether or not he would support the gun lobby’s dangerous agenda that threatens the safety of Virginia’s families and communities.

Lori Haas, Virginia State Director, The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, CaptainMarkKelly, Co-Founder of Americans for Responsible Solutions, Bryan Porter, Alexandria Commonwealth’s Attorney, Virginia State Senator Adam Ebbin stand outside of City Hall in Alexandria and callonEdGillespietorelease his NRAQuestionnaire.

CaptainMarkKelly:

“This week, our nation experienced another horrific shooting in Las Vegas — the deadliest in modern American history. Gun violence touches every single community in this country, including Virginia. And Virginia’s next governor needs to play an important role in combating this deadly epidemic. “Where Ralph Northam will work to improve public safety for all Virginians, EdGillespie has shown that he will be a rubber stamp for the gun lobby’s dangerous agenda. EdGillespie has received an A-rating from the National Rifle Association and has been endorsed by the NRA. But what remains unclear is what EdGillespie had to promise in order toget that endorsement. As governor, will EdGillespie support allowing guns in K-12 schools? As governor, will EdGillespie eliminate the permitting system for carrying concealed firearms, so that there is no background check and no safety training required? Does EdGillespiestill want to protect the loopholes the let felons, domestic abusers and the dangerously mentally ill buy guns without a background check — a loophole that 88 percent of Virginians favor closing? “We believe Virginians deserve to know where EdGillespie stands, and whether he will put the profits of the gun lobby over the safety of Virginiachildren and families. That’s why EdGillespie needs torelease his NRAquestionnaire because the answers to these questions are too important.”

5 Unanswered Questions About EdGillespie’s Position OnGunSafety

As governor, would EdGillespie protect the loopholes the let felons, domestic abusers and the dangerously mentally ill buy guns without a background check — a loophole that 88 percent of Virginians favor closing ? In 2014, the National Rifle Association stated that EdGillespie“opposes the so-called Obama-Bloomberg “universal” background check system that would criminalize the private transfer of a firearm between life-long friends and many family members.” [Source: Since deleted NRA web page]
As governor, would EdGillespie oppose strengthening Virginia’s guntrafficking laws? Virginia has become known as a breeding ground for guntraffickers, largely fueled by individuals who legally purchase guns on behalf of those who cannot pass a background check. Efforts to repeal Governor Wilder’s attempts at combatting the state’s gun trafficking problem have made Virginia less safe. Earlier this year, two dozen people, many of whom were from Virginia, were arrested for trafficking over 200 firearms to New York.
As governor, would EdGillespie protect the loopholes that give domestic abusers easy access to firearms? In 2012, over 100 women were killed in Virginia by a current or former domestic partner. Many of these domestic violence-related homicides involved firearms. Unlike federal law, existing Virginia law does not prohibit individuals convicted of domestic violence misdemeanors from possessing firearms or ammunition.
As governor, would EdGillespie support allowing guns in schools? Federal and state laws ensuring that schools are gun-free zones have helped make K–12 schools even safer, significantly reducing gunviolence in these places. School-associated student homicide rates decreased after the federal laws restricting guns within 1,000 feet of schools were adopted in the early 1990s. Despite the evidence that gun-free zones make our schools safer, the gun lobby wants to arm visitors, teachers and faculty at elementary, middle and high schools and to allow college students to possess guns on campus, which will only lead to more gun deaths and injuries, not less.
As governor, would EdGillespie oppose legislation that empowers law enforcement and families to remove firearms from individuals in crisis?Over the past three years, a growing list of states with strong traditions of gun ownership have passed Extreme Risk Protective Order (ERPO) laws that create a court-ordered mechanism for family members to work with law enforcement to temporarily prevent access to firearms for at-risk individuals. Research shows that people are more likely to die by suicide if they have easy access to firearms. ERPO laws can prevent suicidal individuals from accessing guns during a crisis, which can help prevent gun violence tragedies and save lives.

Citing his longstanding commitment to responsible gun violence prevention policies, Americans for Responsible Solutions PAC endorsed Lieutenant Governor Northam in August. Earlier this year, Americans for Responsible Solutions PAC hosted the first-ever Virginia gubernatorial candidate forum focused exclusively ongunsafety issues. The forum, which was attended by Virginia’s two Democratic gubernatorial candidates provided an opportunity for the candidates to share their views about addressing gunviolence in Virginia and their plans to keep families safe.