Giffords Endorses Senator Chris Van Hollen for the US Senate
WASHINGTON, DC — Giffords PAC, the gun violence prevention organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, announced today it is endorsing Chris Van Hollen for reelection to the US Senate. The announcement was made during a virtual event hosted by Giffords PAC. Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, Executive Director of Marylanders to Prevent Gun Violence Liz Banach, Director of Youth Work and Crisis Intervention at Roca Baltimore James “JT” Timpson,
Dr. Joseph “Jo” Richardson, and Giffords Community Violence Initiative Manager Tiffany Garner joined Senator Van Hollen in a conversation on responsible gun ownership and how community violence intervention programs can help mitigate gun violence in high-risk neighborhoods.
Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords:
“In his decades of public service, Chris Van Hollen has always been a fierce advocate for Marylanders. I’ve been proud to call him a colleague, a friend, and a partner in the fight to end gun violence. Senator Van Hollen is not afraid to stand up to the gun lobby and push for the commonsense gun safety legislation we desperately need in this country. I know that he will never stop fighting for Marylanders. We need Chris Van Hollen in the US Senate.”
Senator Chris Van Hollen:
“Gabby Giffords is an inspiration to all who work to make our communities safer and end the deadly scourge of gun violence. She has harnessed her own personal experience to lead a nationwide movement to implement common sense solutions to end the epidemic of daily gun violence in our communities and mass shootings. I am proud to have worked closely with my friend Gabby and her organization in support of measures to make all our communities safer places to live and work and I am grateful to have the Giffords endorsement as we continue our work together.”
Fighting for commonsense gun safety legislation has been Senator Van Hollen’s mission since first entering public office. As a member of the Maryland legislature, he worked with a Maryland mom who lost her son to a tragic accidental shooting. Together, they passed the Maryland gun safety trigger lock law—the first built-in-trigger lock law in our country.
In the years since, both as a member of the House of Representatives and now the Senate, Senator Van Hollen has continued to be an outspoken and tireless advocate for commonsense measures to address the gun violence epidemic. He has been a leader in the effort to increase federal funding for community-oriented policing and alternative 9-11 emergency responses for mental health situations. He continues to work for universal background checks, increasing federal funding for community violence intervention programs, reinstatement of federal bans on high-capacity magazines and assault weapons, and measures to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers and those who pose a risk to themselves and others. Senator Van Hollen will keep up this fight for effective action until our children can go to school without fear, and families in Maryland and across our country no longer have to bury loved ones who have lost their lives to this preventable epidemic.