Giffords PAC, the gun-safety organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, announced its endorsement of Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick in the 1st Congressional District.
Giffords said, “When I served in Congress, I often worked across the aisle to find solutions to the issues impacting my constituents. If something was a good idea, I believed that it shouldn’t matter what party it came from, so long as it would make a real difference in the lives of everyday Americans. In my current work advocating for common-sense gun-safety laws, the same holds true. Keeping our communities safe is not a partisan issue, and I’ve been proud to work with Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick to save lives from gun violence. In a time when Washington feels more polarized than ever, his support for policies like universal background checks and strong extreme risk laws shows that we can still come together to make meaningful change. Rep. Fitzpatrick has always stood up to the corrupt interests of the gun lobby, and I know he’ll continue to be a much-needed, bipartisan voice for gun safety.“
Fitzpatrick said, “I am honored to earn the endorsement of Giffords – an organization at the forefront of finding common-sense solutions to gun violence. Former Congresswoman Giffords knows all too well the scorn gun violence is upon our nation. Like so many families, my family has also been affected by gun violence. We lost my great-uncle, an NYPD patrolman, to gun violence. Recent tragedies occurring in schools have brought this issue to the forefront. No parent in my district or anywhere in this country should ever have to fear sending their child to school. The highest responsibility that we have as elected officials and as human beings is to protect our children and communities. We must not allow these tragedies to go unanswered. I have long been a leader of bipartisan gun safety legislation such as the Bipartisan Background Checks Act, the NICS Denial Notification Act and the Raise the Age Act. I will continue partnering with Giffords and other allies to responsibly curb gun violence in America.”
In 2019 and 2021, Fitzpatrick was an original cosponsor of H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act, and in 2022, he played a role in passing some of the most wide-ranging gun-safety legislation to ever come to the House floor, including the Protecting Our Kids Act and the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which is now law.
The law provides necessary funding to states to implement extreme-risk laws, addresses the boyfriend loophole, funds community violence intervention programs, establishes a federal gun trafficking statute and strengthens America’s background check system.
Fitzpatrick, a Republican, faces Democrat Ashley Ehasz.
