SOURCE: Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence (Bradycampaign.org)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — With just one month remaining until the 2018 midterm elections, voters across the country are ready to make their voices heard in support of gun safety champions in their communities. The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence announced its latest round of endorsements for Senate, the House of Representatives, state office, and state ballot initiatives.

For the Senate, the Brady Campaign endorsed Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD), Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).

• Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) is a gun owner who believes the Second Amendment is consistent with stronger safety regulations. She supports a ban on rapid fire “bump stocks” and universal background checks.
• Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) has demanded accountability for firearms dealers and manufacturers, voting against exempting them from lawsuits in cases of gun violence. He supports raising the minimum age to purchase firearms from 18 to 21, as well as a ban on assault weapons.
• Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) has called for background checks on private gun sales and transfers, and has sought to ban assault weapons and 3D-printed guns. He recently condemned a plan by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to use federal funds to arm school teachers and staff.
• Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) is one of the leading gun violence prevention champions in the country, having been elected to the Senate just one month before the Sandy Hook shooting in 2012. His 2016 filibuster in the wake of the Pulse shooting was one of the longest in Senate history, reaching nearly 15 hours. He helped pass the bipartisan Fix NICS Act that strengthened our current background system, and he has fought to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers and for a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.
• Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) has made clear that when it comes to gun violence, thoughts and prayers are not enough – we need action. She will commit herself to taking dangerous weapons of war off of our streets, passing a universal background check bill, and fighting gun trafficking resulting from states with weak gun laws.

The Brady Campaign endorsed the following 11 candidates for Congress: Rep. David Cicilline (RI-01), Rep. Salud Carbajal (CA-24), Rep. Ted Deutch (FL-22), Rep. Jim Langevin (RI-02), Rep. Jerry Nadler (NY-10), Rep. Dina Titus (NV-01), Colin Allred (TX-32), Lizzie Pannill Fletcher (TX-07), Jahana Hayes (CT-05), Dean Phillips (MN-03), and Abigail Spanberger (VA-07).

• Rep. David Cicilline (RI-01) has been a champion for gun safety while in Congress. He has sponsored bills to ban assault weapons and high capacity magazines, as well as downloadable 3D-printed guns that enable anyone – even domestic abusers, terrorists, and convicted felons – to create an untraceable, undetectable firearm.
• Rep. Salud Carbajal (CA-24) knows the pain of gun violence firsthand, with his own family being touched by a gun suicide. He has introduced legislation to implement extreme risk protection orders, which would allow family members or law enforcement officials to petition a judge to temporarily remove guns from those who may pose a threat to themselves or others.
• Rep. Ted Deutch (FL-22) has represented the community of Parkland, FL with grace and compassion over the past year following the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. He supports a comprehensive, common-sense approach to gun safety, including raising the minimum age to buy guns to 21, banning assault weapons, and increasing funding for mental health services in schools.
• Rep. Jim Langevin (RI-02) has led the fight in Congress to protect children from unsecured firearms, and to hold gun owners criminally liable if their firearms are used by children. He also worked to strengthen federal oversight of gun dealers and to increase penalties for straw purchases.
• Rep. Jerry Nadler (NY-10) has been a gun violence prevention champion in Congress, having introduced legislation to keep guns from misdemeanor sex offenders who prey on children and co-sponsored a bill to ban 3D-printed guns. Should the Democratic Party take control of Congress, he would be in line to chair the House Judiciary Committee, which has jurisdiction over gun laws.
• Rep. Dina Titus (NV-01) is a member of the House Gun Violence Task Force, where she has fought for federal action to ban bump stocks and assault weapons, establish universal background checks, and to allow CDC researchers to properly study gun violence. As the Congressional representative for Las Vegas, she has seen firsthand the devastating impact that gun violence can have on a community.
• Colin Allred (TX-32), has pledged to protect the rights of responsible gun owners while pushing for common sense reforms. He will fight in Congress for background checks on all gun sales, keeping guns away from domestic abusers, and allowing courts to temporarily block access to guns from those who may be a danger to themselves.
• Lizzie Pannill Fletcher (TX-07) knows that gun violence in America is preventable, not inevitable. She will fight for common-sense gun safety measures, including a ban on assault weapons, raising the age to buy guns to 21, and requiring universal background checks on gun sales.
• Jahana Hayes (CT-05), seeking to represent the families of the children murdered at Sandy Hook in 2012, knows that the issue of gun safety isn’t being for or against guns – it’s about being anti-gun violence. She has called for universal background checks, banning gun sales to those on the terror watch and no-fly lists, and banning assault weapons.
• Dean Phillips (MN-03) will stand with the students in his district and across the country fighting for change, rather than the gun lobby. He is calling on Congress to pass universal background checks, reinstitute a ban on assault weapons, and fund CDC research on gun violence.
• Abigail Spanberger (VA-07) knows, as a former federal law enforcement officer, how important it is to take action against gun violence. She supports Gun Violence Restraining Orders, universal background checks on gun sales, banning assault weapons, and other common sense measures.

In Nevada, a week after the one year anniversary of the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history, the Brady Campaign joined with its local chapters to endorse Steve Sisolak for Governor, Kate Marshall for Lieutenant Governor, Aaron Ford for Attorney General, Marylin Dondero Loop for Senate District 8, Melanie Schiebel for Senate District 9, Jason Frierson for Assembly District 8, Michelle Gorelow for Assembly District 35, Sandra Jauregui for Assembly District 41, and Justin Jones for County Commission.

• Steve Sisolak is committed to taking action against gun violence as Nevada’s next governor. A year after the Route 91 shooting in Las Vegas, he will move to ban assault weapons, bump stocks, high capacity magazines, and silencers. He also is committed to lobbying for funding to research gun violence as a public health crisis, removing restrictions preventing local governments from enacting gun safety measures, and fighting against efforts to arm teachers.
• Kate Marshall immediately got to work in the days after the Las Vegas to work with and help survivors and victims in any way she can. She will continue to be an advocate for all victims of gun violence as she fights to end the epidemic in her state.
• Aaron Ford sponsored a bipartisan bill in the Nevada state senate to ban people convicted of stalking or are subject to a domestic violence-related protective order, which was signed into law under the state’s Republican governor. As attorney general, he will continue his efforts to expand background checks and implement and enforce other common sense gun safety measures in his state.

In Florida, the Brady Campaign and its Florida Executive Council endorsed Nikki Fried for Commissioner of Agriculture, Olivia Babis for Florida Senate District 23, Annette Taddeo for Florida Senate District 40, and Debbie Katt for Florida State House District 57.

• Nikki Fried will, upon taking office as Commissioner of Agriculture, immediately investigate her predecessor’s failure to properly monitor concealed carry permitting in Florida. She has made clear that she will not be beholden to the NRA, but will put the people of her state first and foremost. She knows that background checks save lives while remaining consistent with the Second Amendment, and will govern as such.

In California, the Brady Campaign and the California Executive Council endorsed Buffy Wicks for State Assembly District 15.

The Brady Campaign also endorsed two statewide initiative campaigns; Ban Assault Weapons NOW in Florida, and Washington State Ballot Initiative I-1639.

• Ban Assault Weapons NOW seeks to place an amendment on the 2020 ballot in Florida to ban assault weapons in the state. Led by a combination of family members of murdered Parkland students, survivors of the Pulse nightclub massacre, and elected officials, the committee seeks to take the question of whether or not weapons of war belong in places of peace directly to the people of Florida, who have borne witness to a number of high-profile mass shootings in recent years. More information can be found at bawnfl.org.
• Washington State Ballot Initiative I-1639 would, among other measures, raise the minimum purchase age for semiautomatic rifles, establish new safe-storage rules, and require safety training before the purchase of any gun. This would be one of the strongest improvements to Washington state law on gun safety, and will save lives.

“We are constantly amazed by the sheer number of remarkable candidates who are putting gun safety at the top of their agendas in 2018,” stated Avery Gardiner, co-president of the Brady Campaign. “No matter how ‘blue’ or ‘red’ a district might be, we all stand in agreement that gun violence in America needs to come to an end. Soon, we will have a Congress that stands with us in that belief.”

This election cycle, the Brady Campaign is focused on working with and supporting candidates throughout the country who are committed to preventing gun violence. A heavy focus is on whether candidates support Brady’s three-point plan, including expanding Brady background checks, banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and passing extreme risk laws. A recent battleground poll commissioned by Brady clearly demonstrated the popularity of this plan throughout the country.

A resurgent Brady PAC is supporting candidates who commit to making gun violence prevention a top priority and is working to replace candidates who refuse to prioritize the safety of the American public. Brady is doing so through the candidate endorsement process and holding candidates accountable to their questionnaire answers. Brady PAC will target races across the country in support of such candidates, especially in those races targeting candidates who put gun industry profits before the safety of their constituents.

Brady is also focusing heavily on voter registration, particularly of young voters through its student initiative, Team ENOUGH. In addition to its Congressional report cards released this summer on gun safety issues, the student-led group will be holding voter registration events throughout the summer and will work to educate and mobilize high school and university students from now until November. The group is also inviting students across the country to form their own Team ENOUGH groups and host nonpartisan candidate forums.

Last November’s elections in Virginia and New Jersey, where multiple Brady-backed candidates won on a clear platform of gun safety, demonstrated that voters are engaging on the issue and are rejecting those supported by the NRA. And with recent polling showing that half of Americans want gun safety to be Congress’s top priority, it’s clear that this issue will be a leading one throughout the 2018 campaign.

Further endorsements will be announced in the weeks to come.