press
Washington, D.C., August 29 — Following its endorsements for Virginia’s General Assembly — which included Sen. Dick Saslaw for State Senate, and Dan Helmer and Sheila Bynum-Coleman for the House of Delegates — the gun violence prevention organization Brady is proud to announce its second set of endorsements in the Commonwealth. The organization has officially endorsed a diverse set of candidates that have made gun violence prevention a top-tier issue:
House of Delegates: Wendy Gooditis (House District 10), Sam Rasoul (House District 11), Chris Hurst (House District 12), Danica Roem (House District 13), Larry Barnett (House District 27), Joshua Cole (House District 28), Kathleen Murphy (House District 34), Eileen Filler-Corn (House District 41), Kathy Tran (House District 42), Alfonso Lopez (House District 49), Hala Ayala (House District 51), Marcus Simon (House District 53), Jeff Bourne (House District 71), Schuyler VanValkenburg (House District 72), Shelly Simonds (House District 94), and Phil Hernandez (House District 100)
State Senate: Mamie Locke (Senate District 2), Herb Jones (Senate District 3), Cheryl Turpin (Senate District 7), Missy Cotter Smasal (Senate District 8), Ghazala Hashmi (Senate District 10), Amanda Pohl (Senate District 11), Debra Rodman (Senate District 12), John Bell (Senate District 13), John Edwards (Senate District 21), Creigh Deeds (Senate District 25), Adam Ebbin (Senate District 30), Janet Howell (Senate District 32), Jennifer Boysko (Senate District 33), and Dave Marsden (Senate District 37)
Brady President and Virginia native Kris Brown said the following:
"Simply put, Virginians deserve a say in their state’s gun laws, but under the General Assembly’s current NRA-backed leadership, the gun industry sets the agenda. That has to change. Eighty-three percent of Virginians in key districts support common-sense gun reform, like extreme risk protection orders. That’s why this election is critical to elect a gun safety majority that will pass laws to put Virginians first, not gun industry profits. Come November 5, when these gun violence prevention champions are elected into office, Virginians’ concerns about gun violence will finally be addressed. We are thrilled to support these candidates, and we are looking forward to working with them into November and beyond."
Northern Virginia Brady Chapter President and Brady Board Member Martina Leinz stated:
“We have a chance in 2019 to elect a gun violence prevention majority in Virginia’s General Assembly. This year’s shooting in Virginia Beach, along with the daily toll of gun violence in cities like Richmond and Newport News, demonstrate the urgency with which we must pass common-sense gun legislation. If our current elected officials won’t act, then we’ll vote them out. The time has come. We’re sick and tired of watching lifesaving gun violence prevention bills die due to our immoral legislative leadership in Virginia.”
Following the Virginia Beach shooting, Gov. Ralph Northam (D-VA) called the General Assembly for a special legislative session to address gun violence; however, after 90 minutes, Leader Norment and Speaker Cox ended the session without addressing any of the lifesaving legislation. Since the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007, more than 11,000 Virginians have been killed by guns.
In 2018, Brady-endorsed candidates ran and won on gun violence prevention platforms, prioritizing common-sense policies, including expanding background checks on gun sales, banning assault weapons, and implementing extreme risk laws. Brady-commissioned polling shows that nearly two-thirds of Virginians in key districts support common-sense gun safety measures, like banning assault weapons, proving that the issue will play a key role in 2019 with the entire State Senate and House of Delegates up for election.
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Brady has one powerful mission — to unite all Americans against gun violence. We work across Congress, the courts, and our communities with over 90 grassroots chapters, bringing together young and old, red and blue, and every shade of color to find common ground in common sense. In the spirit of our namesakes Jim and Sarah Brady, we have fought for over 45 years to take action, not sides, and we will not stop until this epidemic ends. It’s in our hands.