Giffords Endorses Roger Dean Huffstetler for Congress in Virginia
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 Roger Dean Huffstetler, candidate for Virginia’s 5th congressional district. Huffstetler is one of 13 candidates Giffords endorsed today as part of its #VoteCourage campaign to elect gun safety champions.
A Marine Corps veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, Huffstetler also has a background in technology and entrepreneurship. Following the recent school shooting in Parkland, Florida, Huffstetler published a poignant open letter to his late father (an NRA member), expressing an urgency to address assault weapons and criticizing the NRA for losing focus on gun safety and education.
“When I campaigned for Governor Ralph Northam last year, my hope was that other Virginia leaders would rise up and join the movement to keep America safe from gun violence. Roger Dean Huffstetler has responded to this call with a bold vision for stronger gun laws and a commitment to responding with real action – not just thoughts and prayers – in the face of tragedy,” said former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, co-founder of Giffords. “Roger is just the type of leader we need in Congress to stand up to the gun lobby and with Americans who have a simple demand: Act to make our schools and communities safer for our children.”
Roger Dean Huffstetler: “I am honored to have the endorsement of Giffords. We must continue our efforts to stop gun violence in our communities and I look forward to working with the Giffords family and their organization to accomplish this mission. “
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.