Giffords Calls for Senate to Build on Rare Hearing to Consider Solutions to Reduce Gun Violence and Pass Legislation to Make Communities Safer

December 6, 2017

DECEMBER 6, 2017 — Today, Giffords, the gun violence prevention organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, combat veteran and retired NASA astronaut Captain Mark Kelly, called for the Senate to pass legislation to prevent gun violence ahead of a hearing where experts will discuss the recent tragedies in Las Vegas and Sutherland Springs, Texas.

The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee is holding a hearing today at 10:00 AM entitled, “Firearm Accessory Regulation and Enforcing Federal and State Reporting to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS).” The hearing will feature representatives from federal agencies as well as expert witnesses to discuss the loopholes in our laws that led to the deadly shootings. Leaders on both sides of the aisle have called for action in the wake of these tragedies, including lending bipartisan support for legislation to strengthen background checks records reporting sponsored by Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Chris Murphy (D-CT).

At the same time that the Senate considers solutions to gun violence, the U.S. House of Representatives will vote later today on the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017, a dangerous bill opposed by law enforcement leaders across the country who say it will put officers at risk and make communities less safe. The bill would undermine current state public safety standards by forcing states with strong concealed carry laws to honor permits from states with weak or nonexistent concealed carry laws.

Robin Lloyd, Director of Government Affairs, Giffords:

“Congress is beginning to recognize that sending only thoughts and prayers in the face of a gun violence crisis that takes the lives of over 90 Americans every day is no longer acceptable to Americans across the country. Today’s hearing is sign that Congress can and should do more to address the deadly gun violence epidemic plaguing our communities. We should not wait for the next horrific shooting, like the one in Las Vegas, to know that Congress must regulate deadly firearm devices like bump stocks. We don’t need to see another town forever altered by a shooter in a house of worship to know that we need to close the loopholes in our laws that are enabling dangerous people like domestic abusers to have access to firearms. “My hope is that today’s hearing will highlight policy solutions to gun violence that Congress can offer to the American people– and act on. We cannot accept a Congress that pays lip service to making our communities safer while simultaneously putting them at greater risk by advancing a harmful bill that would allow more dangerous and untrained people to carry concealed firearms throughout our country.”

Related Resources from Giffords:

Today, Captain Mark Kelly published an op-ed in the Washington Post on why concealed carry reciprocity will make it easier for nearly anyone to walk around with a loaded, hidden gun and put communities and law enforcement in harm’s way. You can read it here. (Visit this page on the Giffords website to read more about concealed carry reciprocity.)
On Monday, 16 retired military leaders, all members of the Giffords Veterans Coalition – including General McCrystal, General Petraeus, and Admiral Thad Allen – sent a letter to Congress calling on them to do more to address the nation’s gun violence crisis. Read their letter here.
Giffords has offered policy solutions to address recent tragedies. Following the Las Vegas shooting, Giffords released a framework for Congress to take urgent action on bump stocks.
After it was revealed that the shooter in Sutherland Springs was able to buy a gun when the Air Force failed to enter his domestic violence court martial in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), Giffords revealed a legislative framework on how to strengthen NICS, and prevent dangerous people like domestic abusers from possessing firearms.

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Giffords is a nonprofit organization dedicated to saving lives from gun violence. Led by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, Navy combat veteran and retired NASA astronaut Captain Mark Kelly, Giffords inspires the courage of people from all walks of life to make America safer.