RELEASE: Giffords Endorses Representative Dave Loebsack for Reelection to Congress in Iowa

August 17, 2018

The endorsement comes as part of the Giffords #VoteCourage Campaign to elect gun reform candidates nationwide

Washington, DC — Giffords, the gun safety organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and Captain Mark Kelly, announced its endorsement of Dave Loebsack in Iowa’s second congressional district.

Congressman Dave Loebsack is an Iowa native and a supporter of Second Amendment rights, having grown up with an appreciation for his home state’s hunting traditions. Congressman Loebsack also supports important gun safety proposals including expanding background checks, restricting the sale of assault weapons, banning large-capacity magazines, and restarting Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) research into gun violence. Congressman Loebsack voted against dangerous concealed carry reciprocity legislation, one of the gun lobby’s top priorities, in both 2011 and 2017.

Statement from 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. Iowa has not been immune to this deadly crisis: somebody is killed by a gun in Iowa every one-and-a-half days. 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 safer. “The Members of Congress we are endorsing today acknowledge the devastating toll of our nation’s gun violence crisis, and they are working to combat it. Their leadership will be critical for our next victories in Congress to save lives and prevent future tragedies.Giffords is proud to endorse Representative Dave Loebsack, who has the courage to stand up to the corporate gun lobby and who will never stop working to make Iowa communities safer.”

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 the Giffords 2018 political program here.

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