Yesterday, Hillary Clinton received the endorsement of Gabby Giffords and Mark Kelly for her plans to increase gun control and gun safety. In an op-ed published on Medium, Giffords and Kelly praised Clinton for her “common sense” plan to reign in gun violence and hold gun manufacturers accountable. Giffords and Kelly founded Americans for Responsible Solutions in an effort to lobby Congress to enact common sense gun regulations. The full text of their op-ed is below:
Why Mark & I Are Supporting Hillary Clinton for President
To Mark and me, our principles are what have always mattered most.
As a Navy fighter pilot, NASA astronaut, and registered Independent, Mark never spent much time caring about the ‘who’s up, who’s down’ of partisan politics.
A registered Republican when I was younger, I was always committed to Southern Arizona values: independence, freedom, and common sense.
When the Republican party began to veer away from its core values, I ran for office as a proud Democrat. When I served my community in the Arizona legislature and later in Congress, I joined other like-minded Democrats and Republicans to work for energy independence, military readiness, a better life for our military families and returning soldiers, a woman’s right to have freedom over her own health choices, and a more secure border.
Today, during our second chance at service, Mark and I continue to fight for what we’ve always fought for: independence, freedom, and common sense. That’s why we’re fighting for a Congress and White House that stand up to the corporate gun lobby’s intimidation and bullying. And that’s why, today, we are endorsing Hillary Clinton for president.
For far too long, the gun lobby has had a stranglehold on Washington. Members of Congress and even some of our presidents have been intimidated into inaction. Bipartisan action has been blocked. Loopholes in our laws that let dangerous people get guns have been fiercely protected. Lies have been spread, fears have been stoked, and a dangerous, unacceptable status quo has been furthered all while gun sales have skyrocketed.”
Throughout all of this, the corporate gun lobby has moved further and further away from the gun owners they claim to represent.
Most of the people running for president talk a lot about how tough they are. But most of them have shown they aren’t tough enough to stand up to the gun lobbyists.
Take it from me: Talk is cheap.
In fact, a lot of the people running for president seem downright terrified to even have a rational conversation about the problem of gun violence in America. We’ve listened closely to all of them, and we’ve looked at all of their records.
Only one candidate for president has the determination and toughness to stand up to the corporate gun lobby — and the record to prove it. That candidate is Hillary Clinton.
Time and time again, Hillary has done and said what is right, not what is politically expedient. That’s why Mark and I are supporting her for President of the United States.
As a United States Senator, Hillary voted for laws that keep guns out of the wrong hands and make our communities safer places to live. She voted against protecting gun manufacturers at all costs and insisted on putting the safety of our communities over manufacturers’ bottom lines. And we believe that as president she will continue working to respect the rights of law-abiding gun owners like us while working to achieve practical solutions like a reliable background check system that prevents dangerous people from getting guns, closing loopholes to protect women and families by keeping guns out of the hands of abusers and stalkers, and cracking down on the illegal gun trade.
Hillary and I share a proud tradition of women leading on issues that impact all Americans and getting things done. We have taken on tough races, relied on other strong women to have our backs — and we have never, ever shied away from a tough fight or a tough vote.
Today, Mark and I are proud to have Hillary’s back, and to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with her to, once and for all, break the stranglehold the corporate gun lobby has had on American politics — and American families — for too long.
Speaking is still physically difficult for me. I do hours and hours of speech therapy. And in January, I hope to call my friend Hillary ‘Madam President.’
Today, Clinton responded to the endorsement with the following statement:
“As an admirer of their courage in the face of incredible odds, their service to the country that they love, and their commitment to ending the epidemic of gun violence, I am humbled to receive the endorsement of these American heroes.
“Gabby and Mark know too well what is at stake in this debate and in this election. Three Americans die every hour we don’t act. 90 die every day. 33,000 die every year. We cannot accept this as normal. Gabby and Mark certainly do not. Since being shot and partially paralyzed five year ago, Gabby has worked tirelessly for progress—founding Americans for Responsible Solutions, traveling across the country to tell her story and promote commonsense gun safety laws, launching a bipartisan coalition in New Hampshire to prevent gun violence, and fighting in support of President Obama’s recent executive actions. Through it all, Mark has been by her side—as her partner, her champion, and her biggest fan. I am honored to join them in their fight for common sense gun reform.
“As President Obama said last week, we must hold our leaders accountable for continuing to put the interests of the gun lobby ahead of the safety of American families. And that starts with electing a president. We need a president who would never vote against common sense background checks. We need a president who will hold gun makers and sellers accountable, not provide them with sweeping immunity from lawsuits. We need a president who will keep guns out of the hands of dangerous felons, not create loopholes that allow shooters like the one in Charleston to buy guns. We owe that to the countless families who have lost loved ones. We owe that to all America’s children. We owe that to Gabby and Mark.”
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News Source: Medium, The Briefing
Hillary Clinton Speeches 