Washington DC — Today, Giffords PAC, the gun safety organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, announced its endorsement of Governor Tony Evers in his reelection campaign. For the past four years, Governor Evers has led the state of Wisconsin with integrity and served as an important line of defense against the dangerous whims of his state’s Republican-led legislature, who have been determined to roll back progress and enshrine harmful gun legislation into law.
Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords:
“Governor Evers has been a longstanding advocate in the fight against gun violence. In office, he has never wavered in his commitment to keeping the people of Wisconsin safe, even in the face of intense pressure from the gun lobby and their allies in the state legislature. Governor Evers recognizes that too many communities across his state are reeling from the devastating impacts of gun violence and real action is needed now. As rates of violence spike to record highs, Wisconsinites need a leader who will always fight for stronger background checks, increased funding for community violence intervention programs, and fixes to glaring loopholes that put our children and families at risk – and Governor Tony Evers is that champion. With him continuing to lead the charge, a safer future is possible.”
Governor Tony Evers:
“I am honored to have the support and endorsement of Giffords PAC in my re-election campaign. Every Wisconsinite deserves safe neighborhoods to live, work, and learn, and gun violence has no place in our communities. We cannot accept that gun violence just happens, that’s why I’ll never stop working toward the common sense reforms that Wisconsinites deserve and support. It’s time to do the right thing to build a safer and stronger Wisconsin.”
As a lifelong Wisconsinite and former educator, Governor Tony Evers is committed to protecting Wisconsin’s communities and building a safer, stronger state for the next generation. After serving two terms as Wisconsin’s superintendent of public instruction, Governor Evers defeated a two-term, NRA-backed incumbent in 2018 in one of the most competitive races in the country. While in office, he has publicly supported numerous commonsense gun safety measures and fought to pass the types of meaningful reforms needed to save lives
In 2019, Governor Evers called a special session to urge lawmakers to pass universal background checks and pushed the Republican-led state legislature to enact other meaningful gun safety measures, like, implementing a strong extreme risk protection order law. When they refused to take action, Governor Evers worked with federal partners to get needed funding to prevent gun violence – like the $800,000 he secured for community safety initiatives in Racine or the $25 million he helped guide toward violence prevention efforts in Milwaukee. Throughout his tenure, Governor Evers has also consistently challenged the extreme agenda of the gun lobby by vetoing multiple bills that would have endangered communities across Wisconsin, including proposals that would have allowed guns on school grounds and given permit holders from states with weak concealed carry permitting systems the ability to carry their firearms throughout Wisconsin.
Without Governor Evers’s steadfast commitment to public safety, these radical proposals would be the law of the land – and we cannot afford to lose his important veto power this November. With extremist judges now waging war on commonsense gun laws, it is critical that we re-elect as many gun safety governors across the country to keep people safe—and we know that in Wisconsin, Governor Evers is the right person for the job.
