Giffords Backs Group of Freshmen Who Governed as Gun Safety Champions In Congress, Now Up for Reelection in Swing Districts

April 2, 2020

Seven House incumbents passed universal background checks in first term, will prioritize gun safety in the next Congress

April 2, 2020 — Giffords , the gun violence prevention organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, endorsed a slate of seven freshman incumbents in their reelection bids to the US House of Representatives. The group of gun safety champions, many of whom hail from districts that were long represented by gun lobby favorites, made passing lifesaving legislation a priority for the 116th Congress. That included passing H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019 , the first significant gun reform bill to get congressional approval in decades. Their leadership will be critical in continuing the work to address the gaps that leave Americans vulnerable to gun violence.

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

“Americans sent a gun safety majority to Congress in 2018 ready to uphold their promises of reducing gun violence in our country. They fought, undeterred by the gun lobby, for landmark legislation like universal background checks. In a time of national uncertainty, it’s never been more clear how much we need leaders who will always prioritize our safety.”

“That’s why we must send these representatives back to Congress in November. They have the courage to step up and lead. Each is committed to working toward a country where our communities are safer and free from the threat of gun violence.”

These members of the 116th Congress took monumental steps to advance lifesaving gun violence prevention legislation. H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019 , was one of the first pieces of legislation introduced in 2019, passing through the full House in the weeks after it was introduced. Congress similarly appropriated $25 million in gun violence research funding, and the House held more than a dozen hearings on gun violence.

The current COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted a number of gaps in our federal gun laws that will require federal action in the near future. Issues such as safe storage, loopholes that leave domestic violence survivors vulnerable to abuse, and a strain on our federal background checks system have all been recognized as clear issues during the coronavirus outbreak. Reelecting these gun safety champions will ensure Congress continues to address these dangerous gaps.

Today’s Giffords Endorsements include:

Joe Neguse (CO-02): Congressman Joe Neguse represents Colorado’s Second District and was elected to his first term in 2018, becoming the first African-American member of Congress in Colorado history. Since taking office, Representative Neguse has introduced 30 pieces of legislation—the most of any freshman lawmaker. Congressman Neguse is a member of the House Judiciary Committee and has been a strong voice for gun violence prevention since arriving on Capitol Hill. He helped pass a bipartisan universal background checks bill and has advocated for proper federal oversight of states that run their own firearm background checks, like Colorado. Most recently, Congressman Neguse invited Tom Mauser, whose son died at the Columbine High School shooting in 1999, as his guest to the 2020 State of the Union, a powerful reminder of his personal commitment to gun safety.
Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (FL-26): Congresswoman Debbie Mucarsel-Powell represents Florida’s 26th District, and is the first Ecuadorian-American member of Congress. Before her election to Congress, Representative Mucarsel-Powell worked for Florida International University, as well as several nonprofit organizations across Miami-Dade County. Like too many Americans, Mucarsel-Powell has a personal connection to gun violence—her father was shot and killed when she was 24. In Congress, she uses her father’s story to advocate powerfully for commonsense gun safety measures like universal background checks. As a vice chair of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, Mucarsel-Powell will continue to use her platform to stand up to the gun lobby and to prevent other families from enduring the pain that gun violence inflicted on her and her family.
Donna Shalala (FL-27): Congresswoman Donna Shalala is a lifelong public servant who was elected to represent Florida’s 27th District in 2018. Previously, Representative Shalala served as the chair of the Children’s Defense Fund and was the longest-serving Secretary of Health and Human Services, holding the role during both terms of the Clinton administration. Her unwavering record of advocating for stronger gun safety laws stretches far beyond her first term in Congress, including her efforts to help pass the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban as Secretary of Health and Human Services. Today Shalala represents a state that has experienced a tragic number of mass shootings in recent years. With the overwhelming support of her constituents, she has championed critical gun safety bills in the House, including universal background checks and gun violence research funding. Given Shalala’s background in public health, she understands that gun violence is a public health issue and values the role that scientific research plays in mitigating its dangers.
Sharice Davids (KS-03): Before she was elected to represent Kansas’s Third District in 2018, Sharice Davids was a fighter, both literally as a professional mixed martial artist and figuratively as an attorney working on Native American community development programs. Both of these experiences prepared her to take on and unseat an NRA-endorsed incumbent, becoming the only Democrat in the Kansas delegation and one of the first Native American women ever to serve in Congress. Congresswoman Davids continues to push for significant change in office, including voting to support a landmark bipartisan universal background checks bill and calling on her colleagues in the Senate to take action to stop gun violence. Davids is unapologetic about who she is and what she believes, proving that it takes courage to tackle big issues and get things done.
Haley Stevens (MI-11): Before being elected to Congress, Haley Stevens served as chief of staff to the US Auto Rescue Task Force, where she played a key role in rescuing the American auto industry during the Great Recession. Today, Congresswoman Stevens represents Michigan’s 11th District, a seat that was previously held by a Republican with an A-rating from the NRA. Representative Stevens is a co-chair of the freshman House Democratic class and has made gun safety a top priority. On her first day in office, Stevens fulfilled a campaign promise to send a letter to her colleagues calling on them to save lives from gun violence by passing universal background checks and funding gun violence research. Since then, she has worked tirelessly to enact those policies, voting to pass a bipartisan universal background checks bill and fund gun violence research at the Centers for Disease Control and National Institutes of Health. Congresswoman Stevens has proven that she has the ability to unite and to lead on gun safety.
Dean Phillips (MN-03): Before his election to Congress, Dean Phillips enjoyed a successful career in business, leading his family’s distilling company and building Talenti into the country’s largest gelato brand. In 2018, he successfully ousted an NRA A-rated incumbent in Minnesota’s Third District by running a campaign focused on inclusivity and listening. In Washington, Representative Phillips, who is a gun owner himself, has applied his skills for consensus building and problem solving to addressing America’s gun violence crisis. He has voted for bipartisan legislation to enact universal background checks and close the boyfriend and stalker loopholes. He has joined the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force and pushed for funding gun violence research. Minnesotans can trust him to continue to stand for commonsense legislation that will keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people.
Tom Malinowski (NJ-07): Congressman Tom Malinowski is a seasoned diplomat in his first term representing New Jersey’s Seventh District. Born in communist Poland, Representative Malinowski immigrated to America at a young age. He grew up to serve on President Clinton’s National Security Council and later worked as an Assistant Secretary of State during the Obama administration. Congressman Malinowski has been an effective voice for gun violence prevention. In a Foreign Affairs subcommittee hearing last March, he leaned on his diplomatic experience to demonstrate the recklessness of a Trump administration proposal to loosen the oversight of firearms exports. He also voted for bipartisan legislation to enact universal background checks and close the boyfriend and stalker loopholes. In his first term, he has already established himself as a staunch ally of the gun safety movement.

About Giffords 2020 Political Efforts:

At every step in the legislative process, this slate of endorsed candidates approached gun safety legislation with the seriousness and urgency needed to solve our country’s gun violence epidemic. In contrast, their counterparts in the Senate have stalled and obstructed any and all gun safety bills sent to them by the House. That’s why Giffords invested nearly $750,000 in ads calling out Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) for failing to support H.R. 8 last year.

Giffords is also leading the effort to make this the year the country elects a #GunSafetyPresident. Congresswoman Giffords, recently announced her endorsement and the endorsement of Giffords PAC of Joe Biden for president of the United States of America. Vice President Biden has fought for stronger gun safety laws throughout his career and has promised it will be a top priority for his administration.

Congresswoman Giffords and Vice President Biden have a long history of working together to advance commonsense gun safety laws, especially in the wake of the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Biden was there to welcome Congresswoman Giffords back to the Capitol months after she was shot and then again at President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address.

Recently released polling showed that the issue of gun safety is becoming a major factor for voters, and one that is critical to winning elections in these areas of the country. Fifty-nine percent of suburban women in the swing states of Colorado, Minnesota, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Texas support stronger gun laws and say this issue is “very important” to their vote. An even larger group (64%) says that they would never vote for a candidate who didn’t support “requiring background checks on all gun sales,” outranking 13 other social and economic policy positions as the top voting determinant. Responses like these underscore that suburban women increasingly want a leader committed to gun safety.