Giffords PAC gun safety group investing $10M in key battleground states

A PAC run by former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) is spending $10 million in a slew of battleground states ahead of the November midterms to support candidates championing gun safety, the gun safety group Giffords announced on Wednesday.

The investment will go toward candidates who supported gun safety reform in local, state and federal elections in Colorado, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Florida and Texas. A press release from Giffords noted it would be “holding those who opposed” the recently signed bipartisan gun safety legislation “accountable.”

The Giffords PAC investment was first reported by Politico.

“We need to elect candidates across the country who have the courage to act to keep their communities safe from gun violence. Today, we are announcing our plan to support them in 2022 and beyond,” the former congresswoman said in a statement. 

“Every day, too many of our neighbors, friends, and loved ones lose their lives to senseless gun violence. This historic investment is designed to keep communities safe by giving more gun violence prevention advocates a seat at the table in city commission meetings, state legislatures, and the halls of Congress.” 

Among the 14 Republican senators who voted in favor of the bill were Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania and Sen. John Cornyn of Texas. 

The topic of gun safety is personal to Giffords, who was shot in the head during a 2011 shooting in Tucson, Ariz., that ultimately left six people dead.

The investment comes close to two weeks after President Biden signed into law the bipartisan gun safety bill, which provides funding for red flag laws to be administered by states, closes the “boyfriend loophole” and bolsters background checks for those between the ages of 18 and 21 years old, among other measures.

The legislation was offered in response to high-profile shootings that took place in Buffalo, N.Y., and Uvalde, Texas. 

A little over a week after Biden signed the bill, the Chicago suburb of Highland Park, Ill., suffered a mass shooting during a Fourth of July parade that left at least seven people dead.