Giffords Endorses Senator Ben Cardin, Congressman Anthony Brown, and Congressman Jamie Raskin for Reelection to Congress in Maryland
These endorsements come as part of Giffords’ #VoteCourage Campaign to elect gun reform candidates nationwide
June 27, 2018 – Giffords, the gun safety organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and Captain Mark Kelly, announced its endorsement of three Maryland incumbents, Senator Ben Cardin, Congressman Anthony Brown, and Congressman Jamie Raskin for reelection. These leaders now join a growing list of endorsed candidates supported by Giffords in 2018, as part of the organization’s #VoteCourage campaign , an effort to elect gun safety champions. The organization expects to announce additional endorsements in the weeks and months to come.
Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, co-founder of Giffords:
“America experienced three of the deadliest mass shootings in modern history in just the past year. Over 38,000 people in our country were killed by a gun. Maryland has not been immune to this deadly crisis: somebody is killed by a gun in Maryland every 12 hours. Despite this devastating reality, the gun lobby has used its cash and influence to stifle any attempts to pass laws on Capitol Hill to make our schools, streets, and communities more safe.
“The American people are outraged and tired of inaction. They are ready to use their power to demand that the leaders we elect to represent us are committed to creating a world where gun violence is not a daily problem. Voters are calling for leaders who will always put protecting the safety of our communities first, not themselves, and certainly not the gun lobby.
“The leaders we are endorsing today have acknowledged the devastating toll of our nation’s gun violence crisis, and they are working tirelessly to combat it. Their passion, leadership, and dedication as a leading gun safety champion will be critical for our next victories in Congress to save lives and prevent future tragedies. Giffords is proud to endorse Senator Cardin and Representatives Brown and Raskin, leaders who have the courage stand up to the corporate gun lobby and who will never stop working to make Maryland communities safer.”
The three Maryland candidates endorsed by Giffords for reelection today include:
- Senator Ben Cardin : In the past five years, Senator Ben Cardin has co-sponsored legislation to expand background checks and ban assault weapons. Senator Cardin has led the charge to maintain stricter regulations over gun exports from the United States. Recognizing gun violence as a critical issue of public health, Senator Cardin has voiced the need to provide funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to conduct research on gun violence. We are proud to endorse Senator Ben Cardin for Senate in 2018.
- Congressman Anthony Brown (MD-04) is a decorated Army veteran and former lieutenant governor who has served his country and community with distinction, including on issues of public safety. Following the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Congressman Brown worked with a coalition of police officers, families, schoolteachers, and gun safety advocates to pass the Firearm Safety Act, which banned assault rifles and high-capacity magazines in Maryland. Since being elected to Congress in 2016, Congressman Brown has supported legislation to expand background checks, restart research at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) into gun violence, ban assault weapons, and allow the temporary removal of firearms from people in crisis. Congressman Brown voted against dangerous concealed carry reciprocity legislation and measures which weaken lawsand procedures to keep guns out of the hands of people in crisis. We are proud to endorse Congressman Anthony Brown for Congress in 2018.
- Congressman Jamie Raskin (MD-08) recognizes that gun violence is an epidemic. To make our communities safer from gun violence, Congressman Raskin supports universal background checks and proposals to prevent abusive dating partners and stalkers from possessing firearms, allow for the temporary removal of firearms from a person who is a danger to themselves or others, and allow for research on gun violence. Congressman Raskin voted against the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017, which would mandate that each state recognize concealed carry permits from every other state and endanger public safety by making it significantly harder for law enforcement to enforce gun laws. We are proud to endorse Congressman Jamie Raskin for Congress in 2018.
Giffords’ #VoteCourage campaign aims to elect gun safety advocates to Congress and defeat politicians who have historically worked against gun reform, or done nothing at all to prevent gun violence. The political program targets 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.
Learn More about Giffords’ 2018 political program here.
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