Gun control activists are boosting their resources to help presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris win the election and help Democrats take control of the House of Representatives in November.
Giffords, a gun violence prevention organization founded by former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, on Friday announced a $15 million campaign targeting voters in battleground states, with the money going to television, digital and direct mail, as well as to fly Giffords and surrogates to campaign for Harris and lesser candidates who support stricter gun control.
“With just over 100 days until Election Day, Giffords will redouble its efforts to support advocates working to save lives, including ensuring Vice President Kamala Harris becomes the next president of the United States,” Giffords executive director Emma Brown said.
The multimillion-dollar campaign, first reported by NBC News, will focus on battleground states such as Michigan and Arizona in the presidential election, as well as battleground districts in California and New York that could determine the balance of power in the House of Representatives next year.
Gov. Sotomayor faces backlash for gun rights views after bodyguard shoots carjacker: ‘It’s so ironic’
Giffords spoke at a campaign event for Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Joe Lamberti)
“Americans across the country have spoken very clearly: they want elected leaders who will stand up to the gun lobby and put public safety first,” Brown said.
Giffords pointed to an internal survey conducted in June that found 70% of U.S. voters in battleground states are “extremely” or “very” concerned about gun violence. The group argues that key voter groups such as women, Latinos and blacks strongly support stricter gun control and could make a difference in close races if they are willing to show up to the polls.
“This is a pivotal year, and I look forward to supporting our allies working to prevent gun violence at all levels of government, from state legislatures to Congress, and providing Vice President Harris with an effective governing partner if she wins in November,” Brown said.
A June Fox News poll found that 45% of Americans rated guns as a “very important” issue, making it the seventh out of 10 issues that were “very important” to voters. The highest-rated issues were “the future of American democracy” (68%), “the economy” (66%) and “stability and normalcy” (58%).
NRA digs up history to counter Kamala Harris’ ‘assault’ ban
Giffords leaves a campaign event for Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Joe Lamberti)
Eric Pratt, executive vice president of Gun Owners of America, a pro-Second Amendment group, questioned the claim that gun control is a motivating issue for a large proportion of voters.
“There is no denying that the policies of Kamala Harris and this Administration are responsible for the crime crisis our country currently faces. The threat of confiscation of common self-defense firearms, combined with the weak response of state and local level crime agencies in major cities across the country, are not helping Americans feel safer,” Pratt told Fox News Digital in a statement.
“If groups like Giffords were truly interested in reducing violence, they would urge Harris, a former prosecutor, to mobilize the U.S. Attorney’s Office against violent criminals. Instead, they appear to want to push for unconstitutional disarmament that leaves ordinary Americans defenseless. That will not win over voters in battleground states.”
Who is Mark Kelly? What to know about the Arizona senator and potential vice presidential candidate
Harris and his wife, Gabrielle Giffords, prepare to be sworn in by Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) in the Old Senate Chamber ahead of the swearing-in ceremony in Washington, D.C., on January 3, 2023. (Tasos Katpodis/Getty Images)
Gabrielle Giffords, a former Democratic congresswoman from Arizona, was shot in the head and seriously injured in an assassination attempt at a campaign event in 2011. The former congresswoman co-founded a group by the same name 10 years ago to “end the gun lobby’s stranglehold on our political system,” according to her website.
Her husband, Arizona Democrat Senator Mark Kelly, is reportedly one of the leading contenders to be Harris’ running mate.
Giffords met with community activists at an event for Harris at the Salt and Light Church in Pennsylvania on Thursday, where she spoke in a predominantly black Philadelphia neighborhood that has been hit by gun violence, including a shooting last weekend that left three people dead and at least six injured.
As she met with voters at a Tucson grocery store, Giffords spoke briefly about her long recovery from a 2011 mass shooting that left six people dead. Other surrogates for Harris, including Pennsylvania House Speaker Joanna McClinton, have positioned the November election as a choice between Harris, who would sign an assault weapons ban, and increased gun violence under Republican Donald Trump, who is supported by gun rights groups.
Click here to get the FOX News app
“There is violence across America, from rural Pennsylvania to the urban areas we live in today,” McClinton said. “We, as voters, can decide whether we want America to be a more violent country or a safer place in every part of America.”
Giffords and McClinton, an ally of Gov. Josh Shapiro, also a potential Democratic vice presidential nominee, avoided questions about the vice presidential pick. A Giffords aide told The Associated Press that the event was planned long before Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Harris as his running mate, and before Harris’ husband emerged as a possible candidate to run for president in 2024.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
