Former Cong. Gabrielle Giffords and Captain Mark Kelly, co-founders of Americans for Responsible Solutions, joined with Delaware leaders in Wilmington to announce a new coalition, the “Delaware Coalition for Common Sense.”
Giffords nearly lost her life in a shooting at a constituent event in her hometown of Tucson, AZ. The shooting claimed six lives. Giffords was injured with a bullet wound to the head.
The coalition’s members will urge their elected officials to advance policies that help keep guns out of the wrong hands and prevent gun tragedies while protecting the rights of Americans to own firearms.
The coalition will focus on commonsense solutions that will help make Delaware families safer from gun violence, such as:
- Preventing people experiencing a mental health crisis from temporarily accessing gunsby providing clear processes for families and law enforcement to ensure that person can’t get their hands on a gun; and
- Strengthen the gun background check system by closing the dangerous “Charleston loophole” that allows gun sales to proceed automatically before a background check is completed, and ensuring that law enforcement are notified when dangerous people fail a criminal background check.
Delaware law currently also does not provide clear processes for families and law enforcement to temporarily prevent individuals experiencing a mental health crisis or other people at risk of committing violent acts – against themselves or others – from accessing firearms, a release from the group stated.
Delaware also follows federal law, which allows FBI and ATF agents only three business days to investigate the potential purchaser. If a gun dealer has not been informed of a final determination after three days, the dealer is legally permitted to proceed with the sale.
Between 2001 to 2010, 782 people were killed with guns in Delaware. Somebody is killed with a gun in Delaware every 4 days. In 2010, there were 88 gun deaths in the state,
Nearly half of all domestic violence-related deaths in Delaware Involve a gun. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly half of all domestic violence homicide victims between 2003 – 2012 were killed with guns. Firearms accounted for the murders of 43 women in Delaware from 2001 to 2010.
“Stopping gun violence takes courage – the courage to do what’s right, and the courage of new ideas. I’ve seen great courage when my life was on the line,” said Giffords in her remarks at today’s announcement. “Now is the time to come together – to be responsible! Democrats, Republicans – everyone.”
“Gabby and I are honored to join with so many leaders from across Delaware to fight for safer communities and some commonsense change,” Kelly, a U.S. Navy combat veteran and former NASA astronaut. “We have a gun violence crisis in our country that makes us stand out in the worst of ways. We have to do better. We can – and we must. We’ve all seen the bumper sticker: ‘Guns don’t kill people. People kill people.’ It’s true. And that’s exactly why our leaders need to do more to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people and protecting the rights of law-abiding gun owners like Gabby and me. It’s the responsible thing to do.”
“I’m honored to stand with Gabby, Mark and so many leaders from across Delaware to urge our leaders to do more to address the gun violence that is tearing so many of our communities apart. We cannot allow these epidemic levels of gun violence to become the new normal. Our leaders cannot allow it. We are asking them to act to save lives. I am honored to join in this fight for a safer Delaware,” said Rev. Terrence Keeling, Pastor of Central Baptist Church.
“I’ve been working on protecting Delaware’s domestic violence survivors for over two decades, and I was on the Delaware Domestic Violence Coordinating Council during my career as a legislator. Today is yet another sign that Republicans and Democrats can come together around responsible solutions that would make Delaware safer. Now, it’s up to our leaders in Dover to follow suit, be responsible and help build a safer Delaware,” said Liane Sorenson, former state Senator and Chair, Delaware Coalition Against Gun Violence Educational Fund.
“Nearly eight years ago, my son Brandon was murdered with a gun three days before his 25th birthday. No parent should ever have to bury a child from gun violence. Yet every 70 minutes, a child under the age of 25 dies from a gunshot wound in our country. As a state and as a nation, I know that we are better than this. I know that we can make it harder for dangerous people to access guns. And I know we can make our communities safer from gun violence,” said Robin Brinkley-White, board member, Delaware Coalition Against Gun Violence. “The commonsense solutions that we are supporting here today might not have saved my child’s life, but it might save yours. That’s why I’m proud be part of the fight to make Delaware a safer place for our children and families.”
Last year, Giffords visited Legislativef Hall in May and called on lawmakers to pass SB 83 and help keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers. Americans for Responsible Solutions also supported the bill through an advocacy program that included that included digital advertising, grassroots organizing, mobilizing key supporters in Delaware urging them to tell their representatives to support the bill.
Click here to learn more about Americans for Responsible Solutions’ work in Delaware.
