press
Washington, D.C., August 20, 2019 — While the Senate remains on recess and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell continues to let lifesaving gun safety legislation gather dust on his desk, American voters are looking forward to 2020 with the opportunity to elect leaders who will help solve our gun violence epidemic. Brady joins them and has announced its latest endorsement supporting Mark Kelly in his run for U.S. Senate in Arizona.
Brady Vice President of Policy, Christian Heyne, stated:
“As a survivor of gun violence, it's hard to express how meaningful it will be to add a voice to the Senate that has seen firsthand what the cost of congressional inaction looks like. When elected, Mark Kelly will honorably serve Arizonans, putting their safety and the safety of the American people first.”
Brady has worked alongside Mark Kelly and his wife, former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ), to change the laws and culture around easy access to guns and support programs that keep communities safe from gun violence. Brady and Kelly share a core belief that common-sense gun laws can save lives without infringing on the Second Amendment.
By contrast, Sen. Martha McSally, the Republican incumbent in Arizona's 2020 Senate race, has consistently worked to advance the priorities of the gun industry. While a member of the House, she cosponsored legislation that would allow virtually anyone to carry a concealed firearm and worked to stymie efforts to get armor piercing bullets off of our streets. That is not the kind of leadership this country needs from the Senate right now.
Brady’s endorsement of gun safety champion Mark Kelly for U.S. Senate comes amid national outcry and urgent demands for gun reform following several weeks of high-profile mass shootings across the country, including in El Paso, Dayton, Gilroy, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Brownsville. New polling released Friday by Fox News shows that public support for gun safety measures only continues to grow. Yet the Senate refuses to move on gun reform, despite this widespread support as well as bold legislative action by the House of Representatives.
Now more than ever, Americans need leaders like Mark Kelly to have a seat in the Senate to fight to keep our communities safe. Brady looks forward to working alongside Kelly to bring an end to congressional inaction and restore the American way of life where no one lives in fear of being shot.
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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.