RELEASE: Giffords Endorses Kirsten Gillibrand for Senate in New York

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 Kirsten Gillibrand for Senate in New York.

Throughout her time in the US Senate, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has served as a powerful advocate for reducing gun violence. She has consistently voted to expand background checks and is a cosponsor of legislation to require a background check on every gun sale. Last Congress, Senator Gillibrand introduced legislation to curb the flow of illegal guns from states with weak gun laws into communities with stronger laws. She supports prohibiting abusive intimate partners and stalkers from accessing guns, enacting laws allowing the temporary removal of firearms from individuals in crisis, and making strong federal investments into gun violence research. She has proven she has the courage to stand up to the gun lobby, opposing dangerous legislation to deregulate gun silencers.

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. New York has not been immune to this deadly crisis: somebody is killed by a gun in New York every 10 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 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 Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, who has the courage to stand up to the corporate gun lobby and who will never stop working to make New York 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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