Giffords Gun Owners for Safety Holds First Annual Summit
Minneapolis, MN — This past weekend, Giffords Gun Owners for Safety held its inaugural Gun Owners for Safety Summit in Minneapolis. The Summit was the largest gathering ever of gun owners who are passionate advocates for gun violence prevention.
In the spring of 2019, Giffords launched its second Gun Owners for Safety Chapter in Minnesota. Now, the program boasts chapters in Colorado, Texas, Minnesota, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Virginia and has members from every state and the District of Columbia in our national coalition. The coalition consists of thousands of members across the country and across political spectrums. The group was joined by Ryan Busse, Giffords senior advisor and former firearms executive. Busse was recently named to the Federal Council to Support Hunting, Conservation Efforts, representing shooting sports interests.
Jason Boren, Deputy Engagement Director, Gun Owners for Safety:
“This past weekend’s summit showed that the majority of gun owners are tired of the NRA being the only voice for gun owners. Responsible gun owners, like myself, want commonsense gun safety measures—not extremism and conspiracy theories. Responsible gun owners know that with rights come responsibilities. They’re sickened by the gun violence that kills more than 110 Americans every single day. After our successful summit this weekend, we are more invigorated than ever to enact change that will save lives.”
Ryan Busse, former firearms executive and Giffords Senior Advisor:
“Like me, the majority of gun owners are against the radicalization that has occured in the gun industry and know something must change. The NRA is no longer the leading voice for gun owners. I’m proud to work with Giffords and Gun Owners for Safety to and give reasonable people a place to stand.”
The summit gathered gun owners from 17 states who are passionate about ending gun violence. During the summit the coalition discussed what’s next for the group which included:
- Increasing the number of Gun Owners for Safety ambassadors.
- Increasing existing state chapters’ capacity for engagement
- Establishing new chapters in regions and states
- Expanding Giffords’ first-of-its-kind training program for gun owners that includes coalition building, citizen lobbying, messaging, personal storytelling, and more.
- Expanding political engagement
Gun Owners for Safety unites hunters, sports shooters, and collectors who want to pass commonsense gun laws. Our gun owners have testified and successfully lobbied legislators at the state and federal levels to close loopholes in our background checks system, pass safe storage bills, and establish and fund research offices across America. As the country has opened back up, they’ve gone into their diverse communities, handing out thousands of gun locks, while sharing recommendations for safe storage from the American Academy of Pediatrics. After the summit, gun owners are heading back to their home states more invigorated than ever.
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