Giffords to Target New York Congressman John Faso (NY-19) for Anti-Gun Safety Record
Giffords’ #VoteThemOut Campaign aims to defeat gun lobby politicians, including Bacon, in upcoming elections
May 4, 2018 – Giffords, the gun safety organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and Captain Mark Kelly, added New York Congressman John Faso (NY-19) to its list of campaigns to target this November. The announcement is part of Giffords’ larger #VoteThemOut campaign to elect gun safety champions to public office and unseat politicians who have refused to pass lifesaving gun violence prevention legislation.
Peter Ambler, Executive Director of Giffords:
“States like New York with strong gun laws are proof that deaths can be prevented with common-sense gun safety measures. Despite this, John Faso has worked against gun reform from the start, opposing even basic policies like background checks, and voting against the New York SAFE Act. We need to stop politicians like John Faso from taking our country in the wrong direction.”
John Faso strongly opposed the New York Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement (SAFE) Act, a landmark gun safety bill that created a statewide firearm database, expanded the assault weapons ban, and restricts magazine capacity. In the past two years, he also voted to loosen restrictions on firearm sales to individuals with mental illnesses, and supports concealed-carry reciprocity.
Running in a contested district, John Faso deflected on gun safety reform after the Parkland massacre, instead pointing fingers at the FBI–rather than lax gun laws–for failing to prevent the shooting.
New York has among the strongest gun laws–and lowest gun death rates–of any state . Nevertheless, the state has yet to pass child access prevention laws or extreme risk protection orders to prevent children and dangerous individuals respectively from accessing firearms.
This February, 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.
As part of the campaign, Giffords also released a series of new digital ads today highlighting the close ties between 10 of the #VoteThemOut incumbents and the National Rifle Association.
Today, Giffords also launched a new digital resource for voters spotlighting the elected officials they are seeking to unseat. The overall effort is working to clear the deck and make room for new leaders in Congress pledge to support legislation that will address the country’s gun violence epidemic.
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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