Survivors, Advocates, and Congresswoman Veronica Escobar Join Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords to Highlight Gun Violence Crisis at Houston Democratic Debate

September 12, 2019

Survivors of mass shootings in El Paso and Aurora and members of the Texas Gun Owners for Safety encourage candidates to discuss gun violence

September 12, 2019 — As Americans call for leaders to detail plans for addressing our nation’s gun violence epidemic, Giffords , the gun violence prevention organization led by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, announced that gun violence survivors, advocates, and Congresswoman Veronica Escobar will join former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords at the Houston Democratic debate. The guests include survivors of the recent mass shooting in El Paso; parents of a woman killed at the Aurora, Colorado theater shooting; and founding members of Texas Gun Owners for Safety.

“Addressing our country’s gun violence crisis is a priority for the American people and it needs to be a priority at this debate,” said former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, co-founder of Giffords. “President Trump and his Senate allies are failing to protect our kids and communities, and America needs a leader who will work tirelessly to ensure that the horrific shootings we see every day across the country, including the recent mass shootings in El Paso and Odessa, are no longer our daily reality. America needs leaders who will be inspired to take on the gun lobby and make our communities safer because of advocates who raise their voices. Tonight we hope to hear moderators ask, and candidates answer, how exactly they will be the Gun Safety President our country deserves.”

“The American people overwhelmingly support action and leadership on gun violence prevention legislation,” said Congresswoman Veronica Escobar. “While we know that the Democratic presidential candidates stand with the majority of the American people, as does our House majority, we must persist until those standing in the way of safe communities relent or get replaced.”

Gun deaths in the United States have reached their highest level in almost 40 years, with nearly 40,000 Americans killed by a gun in 2017. The ripple effects of this crisis have been felt by communities across the country. The American public has been subjected to repeated mass shootings in schools and other civic spaces. Too often, communities of color disproportionately bear the continued impact and trauma of our nation’s gun violence epidemic.

Gun violence survivors and advocates attending the debate with former Congresswoman Giffords include:

Jeneverlyn and Pastor Michael Grady of El Paso, TX. Jeneverlyn and Pastor Michael are community faith leaders whose daughter was shot in the hate-motivated mass shooting in El Paso.
Martha Santisteban of El Paso, TX. Martha’s father was shot and killed and her mother was shot and wounded in the hate-motivated mass shooting in El Paso.
Luvia and Enrique Atilano of El Paso, TX. Enrique was shot and wounded in the hate-motivated mass shooting in El Paso.
William Englisbee of El Paso, TX. William’s mother was shot and wounded in the hate-motivated mass shooting in El Paso.
Sandy and Lonnie Phillips split their time between San Antonio, Texas and Colorado. Sandy and Lonnie’s daughter was shot and killed in the 2012 Aurora, Colorado movie theater shooting.
Pat and Alan Krov of Wimberley, TX. Pat and Alan are founding members of Texas Gun Owners for Safety.

Ahead of Thursday’s debate, Giffords launched the first video of its #GunSafetyPresident campaign. The video features leading Democratic presidential candidates discussing the importance of keeping our kids safe at school. A six-figure buy will put the video in front of key voters, including in Houston ahead of the Democratic debate this Thursday evening. The launch marks the beginning of an extensive effort by Giffords to elevate gun safety as a voting issue in the primary and frame the general election as a referendum on gun safety.

Over the next several months, this pioneering campaign will let Americans hear more from the candidates on this defining issue. On October 2, 2019, Giffords and March For Our Lives will host a presidential forum dedicated to addressing gun violence in America in Las Vegas.

Recent polling proves why the issue should be discussed at the debates:

Morning Consult/Politico: 73 percent of Democratic voters say it’s “very important” for candidates to discuss gun violence at the Houston debate, up 11 percent since voters were asked before the June debates.
Washington Post/ABC: Americans say they trust Democrats over Trump to handle the nation’s gun laws, 51 percent to 36 percent.
Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll: Voters listing gun safety as their top issue continues to grow. 27 percent of respondents said that gun violence was their top issue, up from 20 percent in August. Gun safety tails behind only immigration and health care.

Calls from voters to address gun violence in the Democratic primary continue to deepen.

Following the 2018 midterms, NBC exit polling found that gun policy ranked as the #2 issue for Democratic voters, behind health care and ahead of the economy and immigration.
The 2018 midterms saw the highest participation of young voters aged 18–29 in the past 25 years, with gun violence and the fear of school shootings a top issue driving their decision to vote in 2018.
Democrats in the 2018 election won back the House of Representatives in part because of their focus on robust gun violence prevention platforms, which included a 22-fold increase from the last midterms in the number of ad spots promoting safer gun laws.