WASHINGTON, D.C. – Former Arizona Representative Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, former astronaut Mark Kelly, have launched a new initiative to counter the influence and power of the National Rifle Association and the powerful gun lobby.
The group is called “Americans for Responsible Solutions” and was announced Tuesday, the same day two years ago when Giffords was seriously wounded in a gun attack.
“Our new campaign will launch a national dialogue and raise funds to counter influence of the gun lobby,” Giffords and Kelly announced on the group’s Facebook page. The page has over 7,500 followers in just over 13 hours since it was launched.
Giffords explained the reasoning behind the group’s effort.
“Two years ago, a mentally ill young man shot me in the head, killed six of my constituents, and wounded 12 others,” Giffords said. “Since that terrible day, America has seen 11 more mass shootings – but no response from Congress to prevent gun violence. After the massacre of 20 children and six of their teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary though, it’s clear: This time must be different.
“Americans for Responsible Solutions will encourage elected officials to stand up for solutions to prevent gun violence and protect responsible gun ownership by communicating directly with the constituents that elect them.”
Countering the NRA will not be easy.
Besides having the second amendment generally as the backbone to its existence, the NRA has about 4 million members and according to reports, the NRA Institute for Legislative Action spent $7.5 million on federal elections on 66 candidates in 2012. In addition, the NRA PAC spent $9.5 million in the 2012 elections.
“Forget the boogeyman of big, bad government coming to dispossess you of your firearms. As a Western woman and a Persian Gulf War combat veteran who have exercised our 2nd Amendment rights, we don’t want to take away your guns any more than we want to give up the two guns we have locked in a safe at home,” Giffords and Kelly wrote in an op-ed in USA Today.
If someone shoots one of your family members would you want to know who owned the gun?
NO, I’d want to know who pulled the trigger.
So instead of working together to find a solution to “keeping crazy people from getting guns and causing mass murder” you all want to continue to sit around and whine about YOUR rights to own a gun. I think you all should spend a day with the parent of a Conn. school child. You’re all so afraid your gun will be taken you can’t even think straight. THAT”S why a solution will never be. You all just want an excuse to play hero. You’re acting more like Barney Fife’s. Maybe if someone had blown your family members brains out you’d have a different attitude. But I doubt it. NEANDRATHALS.
I’ll talk to any of the victims families. I;m sure there are a few of them who resent being paraded around by the liberal media. This is not about making things better. If it was about protecting children they would outlaw abortion. Biden said”if it saves one life it is worth it” How many abortions are done each year!! I feel that if someone gets an abortion the onus is on them…BUT stepping in the blood of these poor dead children to promote a political agenda is horrible. personal responsiblity is the answer to the violence problem. That and the judges who let these people walk…..we all know who i’m talking about
When will all these people get it through their thick skulls that the problem really isn’t gun control? They keep focusing all of their energies on the machines/tools these people use to carry out their insanity when they really need to be concentrating on the insanity. Stop worrying so much about the weapons and start worrying about the mental health of our citizens.
I had 2 first cousins STABBED to death in Minnesota. I want knives banned. Now just how ridiculous is that? People will kill with whatever they find at hand. Anger is anger. Madness is madness. It will find a way to express itself unless the mental health system in this country and parents in this country learn to recognize it and do something about it.
I want pickles banned people choke on them. Sounds dumb? So does your knife rhetoric. It’s useless and serves no purpose.
gun control is more a figure of speech. Has a wide meaning. Don’t let the words scare ya. LIBERALS still enjoy guns. I doubt they’ll allow them to be taken away completely. The sky is NOT falling. Relax and help find a solution instead of being part of the problem.
This has worked out swell -NRA has gained 100,000 new mwmbers in the last two weeks – NRA = Patriotic AMERICANS !
nothing more than exploiting a victim. Sad really.
exploiting a victim? How so?
I would be willing to bet all this debate is for nothing because it would take a cooperative vote from our government which is impossible.
It would take an act of Congress. Relax.
Maybe if someone would have a gun in the group, instead of having an expensive trial for a crazy guy. he would be dead and others would have lived.
Sorry Tim, but there were legally carrying members in the group (only mass shooting that had legally carrying citizens), but none of them felt that they could safely use the weapon to stop the shooter.
The Portland Christmas mall shooting was stopped by a legal concealed weapons permit holder, who just happened to not know that the mall was a ‘gun free zone’
She was a card carrying liberal before she got shot so nothing has really changed other than she gets more press now. I am sorry she was shot by a mentally deranged person and can understand how she feels but. it will make very little difference in the overall scheme of things.
LVS I agree 100%. She is being paraded around like sarah brady did to her husband. They need a new spokesperson because the brady’s are not getting any younger. SO now instead of james Brady we have the drooler…
SO instead of actually finding a solution for the problem ( a mentally unstable person) they want to take on the gun lobby and the NRA. Newsflash Gabby, the gun did nothing by itself to harm anyone, the NRA is promoting responsible gun ownership already. So why don’t you put your efforts towards protecting people from the mentally unstable. I have a hunch that if there was not a gun around he would have found something else to use as a weapon.
“we don’t want to take away your guns any more than we want to give up the two guns we have locked in a safe at home”
Except those guns will most likely be declared illegal under the ban you’re pushing and guess what?
They’ll be confiscated.