Giffords Endorses Tom Carper for Senate in Delaware

Washington, DC — Giffords, the gun safety organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and Captain Mark Kelly, announced its endorsement of Tom Carper for Senate in Delaware.

Senator Tom Carper is focused on addressing the tough issues facing our nation, including the gun violence epidemic. He has consistently voted to expand background checks and has for years helped spearhead efforts to federally fund gun violence research. Senator Carper supports a prohibition on gun access for abusive dating partners and stalkers, as well as a ban on bump stocks, assault weapons, and high-capacity magazines.

Statement from former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, co-founder of Giffords:

“America experienced three of the deadliest mass shootings in modern history in just the past year. Over 38,000 people in our country were killed by a gun in 2016. Delaware has not been immune to this deadly crisis: somebody is killed by a gun in Delaware every three-and-a-half days. Despite this devastating reality, the gun lobby has used its cash and influence to stifle any attempts to pass laws on Capitol Hill to make our schools, streets, and communities safer.

“The Members of Congress we are endorsing today acknowledge the devastating toll of our nation’s gun violence crisis, and they are working to combat it. Their leadership will be critical for our next victories in Congress to save lives and prevent future tragedies. Giffords is proud to endorse Senator Carper, who has the courage to stand up to the corporate gun lobby and who will never stop working to make Delaware communities safer.”

“I believe that Congress must enact common sense reforms to our nation’s gun laws, including universal background checks, renewing the assault weapons ban, and studying the root causes of gun violence,” said U.S. Senator Tom Carper. “The overwhelming majority of Americans and Delawareans support these reforms, and I won’t stop fighting until common sense prevails over the NRA in Washington. I am honored to receive the support of Giffords and to work alongside my former colleague and friend Gabby Giffords and her husband Mark Kelly to reduce the epidemic of gun violence in our communities without infringing on the Constitutional rights of law-abiding Americans.”

Giffords’ #VoteCourage campaign aims to elect gun safety advocates to Congress and defeat politicians who have historically worked against gun reform, or done nothing at all to prevent gun violence. The political program targets incumbents in mostly suburban districts and uses a mixture of TV and digital advertising, on-the-ground organizing, and a voter registration push to create momentum for meaningful progress on gun safety.

Learn More about the Giffords 2018 political program here.