CHICAGO – Former Arizona Congresswoman Gabby Giffords was seriously wounded by a deranged gunman in 2011. Since that time, she and her astronaut husband became active in promoting gun control, setting up an organization that announced endorsements of several running for U.S. Senate this fall.
One of those "Americans for Responsible Solutions" announced this week is backing is Illinois U.S. Senator Mark Kirk, who is in an intense battle to retain his seat in November.
In a piece written for CNN, Giffords writes why she's crossing party lines to support Kirk's re-election:
It's a national effort. That's why, this fall, we're undertaking a campaign to ignite the vocal majority of gun-sense supporters from coast to coast. And we're standing by our friends who have championed smart gun laws in Congress. Some of those friends are Democrats; some are Republicans. All of them know how urgently we need to do more to keep guns out of dangerous hands. Saving lives should be an American priority, not a partisan litmus test.In the wake of the tragedy at Sandy Hook, Republican Sens. Pat Toomey and Mark Kirk broke from the gun lobby and supported a bill to help prevent felons, domestic abusers and the dangerously mentally ill from obtaining firearms at gun shows and online.This week, they are earning our organization's endorsement.
Read the rest HERE.
