Giffords Endorses Joe Neguse for Congress in Colorado
The endorsement comes as part of Giffords’ #VoteCourage Campaign to elect gun reform candidates nationwide
March 21, 2018 – Giffords, the gun safety organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and Captain Mark Kelly, announced its endorsement of Joe Neguse, candidate for Colorado’s 2nd congressional district. Neguse is one of 13 candidates Giffords endorsed today as part of its #VoteCourage campaign to elect gun safety champions.
Neguse, a 33-year-old Colorado native and son of Eritrean refugees, is an advocate for gun safety policies, including closing the federal gun show loophole, banning assault weapons, and opposing concealed-carry “reciprocity” legislation.
“Colorado needs bold leaders like Joe Neguse who are committed to acting to address our nation’s gun violence epidemic,” said former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, co-founder of Giffords. “If our elected officials aren’t going to make our schools, streets, and communities safe, it’s time for us to elect people who will. Joe Neguse is a strong advocate for meaningful gun safety policies, and he will be a leader in Congress to pass them into law.”
“I am honored to receive the endorsement of Giffords and to fight alongside them to make communities safer,” said Joe Neguse, candidate for Colorado’s 2nd congressional district. “It’s time to ensure that background checks are performed every time a firearm exchanges hands, institute new tough federal laws against gun trafficking, bring back the assault weapons ban and to keep fighting dangerous legislation like concealed carry reciprocity.”
Colorado is home to two of the most infamous mass shootings in recent history—the Columbine High School massacre in 1999, and the tragic Century 12 movie theater shooting in Aurora in 2012.
Last month, Giffords launched the #VoteCourage campaign aimed at electing gun safety advocates to Congress and defeating politicians who have historically worked against gun reform, or done nothing at all to prevent gun violence. The political program is targeting incumbents in mostly suburban districts and uses a mixture of TV and digital advertising, on-the-ground organizing, and a voter registration push to create momentum for meaningful progress on gun safety.
The mass shooting at Parkland, Florida crystallized the country’s frustration with the lack of action to pass gun safety laws. Currently, the country is averaging nearly 34,000 deaths from guns every year, and recent polling shows that support for stronger gun laws is at an all-time high.
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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.