Giffords, Mark Kelly Announce Tour to Push for More Background Checks

Giffords, Mark Kelly Announce Tour to Push for More Background Checks

Former Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-AZ) and her husband Mark Kelly will embark on a multi-state tour on July 1st to push for expanded background checks on gun purchasers.

Kelly’s gun-control group, Americans for Responsible Solutions, announced the “Rights and Responsibilities” Tour on Tuesday. Giffords and Kelly will try to gin up more support for expanded background checks after an amendment sponsored by Sens. Pat Toomey (R-PA) and Joe Manchin (D-WV)  failed in April. 

“I’ve been around guns my whole life, and I know that as an American, my right to own a firearm goes hand in hand with my obligation to be a responsible gun owner and  to do my part to make sure guns don’t fall into the hands of criminals or dangerously mentally ill people,” Kelly said in a statement. “Gabby and I are excited to hit the road this summer and meet so many of the great Americans who are standing with us to fight for common-sense solutions to prevent gun violence and protect our rights.”

They will start the tour in Nevada on July 1 st before making stops in Alaska, Maine, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota and Ohio, according to the group. 

Giffords was almost murdered in January 2011 while doing a town hall event in her Arizona district. The national media, without any facts, initially blamed the Tea Party and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin for her attempted murder. Jared Loughner, the deranged shooter, had nothing to do with the Tea Party whatsoever, and Giffords’s appearance in Alaska will likely bring those incidents back into the national conversation. 

COMMENTS

Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.