Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, NASA astronaut Mark Kelly, have selected the next front for their advocacy efforts against gun violence — their home state of Arizona.
On Thursday, flanked by state business leaders and former elected officials, Giffords and Kelly revealed what they call a new bipartisan group, the Arizona Coalition for Common Sense.
“Stopping gun violence takes courage. The courage to do what’s right,” Giffords said.
The goal is to push through meaningful reform to curb gun violence. Legislation, for example, that would require a background check for private and online sales or the safe storage of firearms.
Kelly says they have been successful across the country getting these kinds of reforms passed.
“When we can’t get a legislature to pass a bill that not only we think makes sense, but the citizens of that state overwhelmingly support, we will work really hard to elect people to the legislature that will support the bill,” Kelly said.
Kelly said they will try to meet with Gov. Doug Ducey and may consider other means like a ballot initiative if unsuccessful in the legislature.
But Kelly admits it won’t be easy in a state like Arizona where, if anything, state lawmakers have been expanding gun rights.
Arizona has 40 percent more gun deaths than the national average, according to federal data.
