GIFFORDS releases statement ahead of Pam Bondi’s confirmation hearing

WASHINGTON — Today, GIFFORDS, the national gun violence prevention organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, released a statement ahead of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing for President-elect Trump’s nominee to serve as U.S. attorney general, former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi.

“We have finally begun to see meaningful federal progress to address our country’s deadly gun violence epidemic, with homicide rates decreasing dramatically in recent years thanks to lifesaving laws like the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act and historic investments in community violence intervention programs. As the leader of the Department of Justice, the U.S. attorney general can protect and expand this progress to save lives. Yet, it is also true that an attorney general who lives in fear of the gun lobby and refuses to utilize the lifesaving tools at their disposal can directly lead to more Americans being shot and killed ,” said GIFFORDS Executive Director Emma Brown.

“The U.S. attorney general is our top law enforcement official. Any nominee for the job must commit to supporting the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the only federal law enforcement agency tasked with protecting Americans from violent crime. Undermining the ATF, or entertaining extreme proposals to abolish it altogether, would only help criminals and those intent on doing harm. Gabby and I will be watching these hearings closely to hear Bondi also discuss her commitment to faithfully enforcing existing laws, funding community violence intervention, supporting survivors of gun violence, and promoting accurate data collection and publication,” Brown added.

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