Giffords Endorses Two Members of Congress for Reelection in Pennsylvania
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 Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick and Conor Lamb. Fitzpatrick and Lamb 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. Pennsylvania has not been immune to this deadly crisis: somebody is killed by a gun in Pennsylvania every 6 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 Representatives Fitzpatrick and Lamb, leaders who have the courage to stand up to the corporate gun lobby and who will never stop working to make Pennsylvania communities safer.”
The two Pennsylvania candidates endorsed by Giffords for reelection today include:
- Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01) : A former FBI agent, Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick’s law enforcement experience has been critical in informing his positions on gun safety. In 2017, Congressman Fitzpatrick voted against concealed carry reciprocity, which would have forced Pennsylvania to allow potentially untrained, unlicensed individuals to carry hidden, loaded guns into its communities. Congressman Fitzpatrick is a leader in the Republican caucus on the issue of gun safety, and supports legislation expanding background checks, federal research into gun violence, raising the age to purchase semi-automatic rifles to 21, banning bump stocks, and enacting laws to temporarily remove firearms from individuals in crisis. We are proud to endorse Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick for Congress in 2018.
- Congressman Conor Lamb (PA-17) is a former U.S. Marine Corps Captain and federal prosecutor. Though he has only served in Congress since April 2018, Congressman Lamb has already supported legislation to expand background checks. We are proud to endorse Congressman Conor Lamb 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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