Republicans Embrace Gun Lobby, Neglecting #1 Killer of School Age Children
“Access to guns” is the country’s top public health concern and the #1 killer of children aged 1–17.
Washington DC —GIFFORDS, the gun violence prevention organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, released a statement following Wednesday’s Republican Primary Debate held at the Reagan Library. President Reagan was both a gun owner and survivor of gun violence. He showed courage and embraced commonsense gun laws, like nationwide background checks.
Despite the chorus of recent data showing that “access to guns” and gun violence is a top concern for voters across the political spectrum, no candidate backed proven and popular measures to prevent guns from falling into the wrong hands.
Peter Ambler, GIFFORDS Co-founder & Executive Director:
“Many kids are a month into school and parents are worried as they say goodbye each morning. We know what policy solutions prevent gun violence and tonight, the Republicans on the debate stage made it clear they were against these commonsense policies. Our nation’s kids deserve to grow up without the fear of gun violence. But the GOP candidates have sided overwhelmingly with the gun lobby. Thankfully, we can trust President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to take historic actions to fight the gun lobby and protect our communities.
“Until national Republican Party leaders wake up and join a supermajority of voters, they will pay a steep political price for ignoring the number one public health concern in America.”
BACKGROUND:
A recent GIFFORDS poll of presidential battleground states found that 86% percent of Republicans support universal background checks, 81% want to require a license and mandatory training, and three-fourths want to crack down on untraceable ghost guns. Further, President Biden’s Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the first major gun bill in three decades, has the support of 76% of voters in battleground states and they overwhelmingly want to see more gun safety laws.
In August, GIFFORDS PAC was proud to join a coalition of gun violence prevention groups for a first of its kind endorsement of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for reelection.
MEDIA REQUESTS
Our experts can speak to the full spectrum of gun violence prevention issues. Have a question? Email us at media@giffords.org.
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