Giffords Congratulates Pat Ryan on Winning Special Election
Washington, DC — Giffords PAC, the gun violence prevention organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, congratulates Congressman-Elect Pat Ryan on winning his special election. As Ulster County Executive, he’s been a determined leader in the fight to end gun violence and we know he’ll continue to be an advocate for stronger gun laws in Congress once he’s sworn in.
“We were proud to endorse Pat Ryan in this critical special election to hold NY-19 and are thrilled that he came up victorious last night,” said Kate Moore, Giffords National Political Director. “Congressman-Elect Ryan ran a strong campaign focused on public safety and protecting the rights of his constituents, and his victory makes clear that gun safety is a winning issue. For too long, the gun lobby has wielded outsize power in Washington, but with gun safety advocates like Congressman-Elect Ryan in office, we finally have the power and momentum to stop them in their tracks and pass lifesaving legislation. We know that in Congress, he will always put the safety of New Yorkers first and push back on the corrupt whims of special interests. We look forward to continuing our work to build a safer New York, free of gun violence, with Congressman-Elect Ryan.”
Congressman-Elect Ryan is no stranger to supporting and defending commonsense gun safety laws: in 2019, he led a countywide coordinated effort between law enforcement, local government, and educators to implement New York’s extreme risk law, and we know he will fight to ensure that similar protections are implemented at the federal level. After the Supreme Court’s ruling in NYSRPA v. Bruen invalidated New York’s concealed carry law earlier this year, he brought the dangerous ramifications of this ruling to the forefront of his campaign and promised that he will combat this kind of harmful judicial overreach by working to expand background checks to all gun sales and making sure that our communities fund lifesaving community violence intervention programs. As a combat veteran, Congressman-Elect Ryan firmly believes that the weapons of war he used in Iraq have no place in schools or houses of worship—and as New York’s newest member of Congress, we know that he will work diligently to get dangerous firearms off the streets.
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