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RELEASE: Giffords Endorses Representative David Cicilline for Reelection to Congress in Rhode Island

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

October 4, 2018 — Giffords, the gun safety organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and Captain Mark Kelly, announced its endorsement of David Cicilline in Rhode Island’s first congressional district. 

Statement from former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, co-founder of Giffords:

“A year ago, America suffered its deadliest mass shooting. 58 people lost their lives to a gunman armed with assault weapons outfitted with bump stocks. Last year we also learned the number of people killed with guns in our country skyrocketed to a level not seen in decades. But since that time, our current Congress has failed to pass any meaningful legislation to reduce gun violence and save lives. They’ve done nothing to prevent the over 38,000 people in our country killed by a gun. Rhode Island has not been immune to this deadly crisis: somebody is killed by a gun in Rhode Island every week.

“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. David Cicilline’s leadership will be critical for our next victories if we elect a Congress willing to take on the gun epidemic. Giffords is proud to endorse Representative Cicilline, who has the courage to stand up to the corporate gun lobby and is ready to make Rhode Island communities safer.”

Before his election to Congress, Congressman David Cicilline was one of the founding members of Mayors Against Illegal Guns. On Capitol Hill, Congressman Cicilline has supported legislation to expand background checks, enact extreme risk protection orders, restart federal research into gun violence, prevent domestic abusers and stalkers from possessing guns, repeal legal immunity for the gun industry, and prevent downloadable guns from being posted online. This year, Congressman Cicilline introduced legislation to ban assault weapons and require all firearms to be traceable by law enforcement. Congressman Cicilline has also repeatedly voted against dangerous concealed carry reciprocity legislation—the gun lobby’s number one priority.

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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