EDITORIALS

OPINION: Put gun safety above partisan leanings

Peter Ambler

The writing is on the wall for members of Congress who have put gun lobby interests ahead of those of their constituents. It’s time to step down or risk being trounced by gun safety challengers.

In the wake of the two deadliest mass shootings in American history, the ruling party in Congress has done absolutely nothing beyond offering “thoughts and prayers” to address the gun violence crisis in our country. In fact, Republicans are so beholden to the gun lobby for campaign contributions and support, their response has been only to try and weaken our existing gun laws.

Those days are over — and Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen is the latest example.

Following the massacres in Las Vegas and Sutherland Springs, Rep. Frelinghuysen voted for a bill that would make it easier for dangerous people to carry concealed, loaded firearms in public. This bill — the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act (CCRA) — is the gun lobby’s top legislative priority. By supporting it, Frelinghuysen undermined New Jersey’s strong gun laws and dealt a blow to law enforcement and the safety of our communities while helping stalkers, domestic abusers, and people with no firearms safety training carry weapons.

His vote, however, did not go unnoticed.

In the days leading up to it, New Jersey voters sent emails, signed petitions, and called Rep. Frelinghuysen’s office on Capitol Hill, urging him to vote no on the dangerous legislation. Giffords — the gun violence prevention organization I lead — held a press conference with the New Jersey Coalition to End Domestic Violence and Morristown Mayor Tim Dougherty and ran TV and digital ads, so that Frelinghuysen’s constituents were aware of the dangerous consequences of this legislation.

Following the vote, one of Frelinghuysen’s longtime donors and most prominent supporters publicly dropped his support, joining us in endorsing former federal prosecutor and Navy veteran Mikie Sherrill — someone who really knows what it means to fight for the safety of our nation.

Rep. Frelinghuysen’s decision to back out of the race shows that he is acknowledging what we already knew — that there was no way his voters were going to re-elect someone who so blatantly disregarded the safety of New Jersey communities.

And Frelinghuysen isn’t the only one.

Reps. Ed Royce and Darrell Issa, both of California, have had the same realization. They join a growing list of Republicans in swing districts around the country who have voted in lock-step with the gun lobby and are throwing in the towel this year. That’s because they’ve been on the wrong side of this issue and, with mass shooting after mass shooting, voters are saying enough is enough.

In November, New Jersey voters faced a clear choice between GOP candidate Kim Guadagno, who was backed by the gun lobby, and Phil Murphy, who campaigned on a platform of gun safety alongside Giffords founders Gabby Giffords and Mark Kelly. Murphy made it clear that as governor he would work hard to pass laws that stop dangerous people from obtaining firearms and improve safety through technology.

New Jersey voters — including those in Frelinghuysen’s district — delivered a decisive victory to now Governor Phil Murphy and sent a clear message that they would not support candidates bound to gun lobby interests.

As midterm campaigns begins in earnest, Republicans should take note of the increasing impact guns are having in elections. The 10 Republicans who bucked party leadership and refused to vote for CCRA represent the types of moderate, suburban districts that will be key in determining the majority in the 2018 election.

Voters are demanding leaders who will put their families first at a time when the influence yielded by special interests in Washington is all too apparent. People deserve leaders with the courage to stand up to the gun lobby, and fight for safer communities.

Peter Ambler, executive director, Giffords