Outraged by His Vote to Pass Concealed Carry Reciprocity Bill, Longtime Frelinghuysen Advisor Retracts Support, Endorses Opponent Mikie Sherrill for 2018
Frelinghuysen joined a majority of his colleagues in House of Representatives in approving concealed carry reciprocity
Mikie Sherrill urged Frelinghuysen and others to vote against the bill
WASHINGTON DC — Finn Wentworth, a real estate developer in New Jersey and longtime advisor to Representative Rodney Frelinghuysen (NJ-11), retracted his support for Frelinghuysen and expressed outrage after he voted in favor of concealed carry reciprocity last week. Wentworth joined Giffords, the gun violence prevention organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffordsand her husband, combat veteran and retired NASA astronaut Captain Mark Kelly, in endorsing Frelinghuysen’s opponent, veteran Mikie Sherrill for 2018.
After supporting Frelinghuysen for years Wentworth believes the district needs a leader like Sherrill who will do a better job of supporting strong gun safety laws and keeping the community safe. Sherrill, a Navy Academy graduate who became a pilot and spent nearly 10 years on active duty before becoming a federal prosecutor, was one of the first candidates that Giffords endorsed for 2018 U.S. House primary races because of their courage to stand up for gun safety.
Finn Wentworth, Founder and Partner, Normandy Real Estate Partners:
“Failing to stand up against dangerous policies will only make our world less safe, now and for generations to come. New Jersey families deserve leaders who have the courage to stand up to the gun lobby, and who acknowledge our gun violence problem and work toward solutions to save lives. In voting for the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, Representative Rodney Frelinghuysen chose to side with the gun lobby and compromise public safety. Today, I am withdrawing my support for Rep. Frelinghuysen and am joining Giffords in endorsing Mikie Sherrill, a Navy veteran and former federal prosecutor who has fought for public safety her whole career and will stand up for gun laws that will make our communities safer.”
Captain Mark Kelly, co-founder of Giffords:
“As the son of two New Jersey cops, I am outraged that Congressman Frelinghuysen’s vote shows us that he’s part of the problem in Washington. There’s only one way to explain it – and it’s that he put the gun lobby’s political contributions ahead of the safety of his constituents. Next November, voters in New Jersey will have an opportunity to demand courage from their leaders and elect leaders like Mikie Sherrill who are determined to stand up to the gun lobby and put the safety of their families first.”
The Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017 is opposed by law enforcement leaders across the country who say it will put officers at risk and make communities less safe. Concealed carry reciprocity threatens public safety by forcing states with strong concealed carry laws to honor permits from states with weak or nonexistent concealed carry laws, undermining current state permitting standards.
Related Resources from Giffords: Visit this page on the Giffords website to read more about Concealed Carry Reciprocity. Highlighted resources include a fact sheet on how concealed carry reciprocity would hurt New Jersey.
In the runup to the House vote last week, Giffords helped lead a press conference with the New Jersey Coalition to End Domestic Violence in Morristown with Mayor Tim Dougherty urging Frelinghuysen to vote no on concealed carry reciprocity. Giffords also ran tv and digital ads in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District making clear that if the bill passed, nearly anyone with hidden, loaded guns would be allowed into communities and that the gun lobby has spent million to make this happen. They called on Frelinghuysen to support public safety over the gun lobby.
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