PROVIDENCE — Four local and national gun violence prevention organizations endorsed U.S. Representative David Cicilline for reelection to Rhode Island’s 1st Congressional District, noting his record as a public safety champion in Congress. The organizations are the RI Coalition Against Gun Violence (RICAGV), the Giffords PAC, Brady PAC, and the Newtown Action Alliance. In addition, Moms Demand Action awarded Congressman Cicilline their Gun Sense Candidate distinction.
“Gun violence in our country is an epidemic. Children shouldn’t be afraid to go to school. Places of worship shouldn’t need security checkpoints. We need to take action now to combat the violence in our county. This shouldn’t be controversial. Without it, we will continue to witness mass shootings and senseless loss,” said Congressman Cicilline. “I’m incredibly proud to have the endorsements of these organizations who are committed to reducing gun violence in our country through commonsense solutions, and I look forward to continuing to work with them to pass important gun safety measures.”
The gun violence prevention organizations cited Congressman Cicilline’s long standing record on gun safety as an important reason for his endorsement.
“Rhode Islanders have a champion like no other in Representative David Cicilline. As the lead sponsor of comprehensive and lifesaving legislation, including the Assault Weapons Ban and the Untraceable Firearms Act, he has proven time and again that he will never give up the fight for gun safety until every family in his district can live their lives free from senseless violence. With our gun safety House majority on the line, it is more important than ever that gun safety champions like Representative Cicilline are reelected to another term this fall. We know that with people like him in office, real progress is possible and lifesaving results are within reach,” said Kevin O’Keefe, Federal Affairs and Political Manager of Giffords PAC.
“Rhode Island Coalition Against Gun Violence is very proud to endorse Congressman Cicilline, a longtime advocate and champion for stronger gun violence prevention bills. We are grateful for his continued lifesaving advocacy in Washington, including his lead sponsorship of an assault weapons ban. With gun violence spiking in 2021 to its highest level in almost 30 years, we need to elect leaders, like Congressman Cicilline, who have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to gun violence prevention as a top priority,” said Sydney Montstream-Quas, RICAGV Board Chair.
Congressman Cicilline was also backed by Moms Demand Action, naming him one of their Gun Sense Candidates.
“Through his years of tireless advocacy for public safety measures that will protect people from gun violence, Congressman Cicilline has earned his distinction as a Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Candidate and endorsement from Everytown for Gun Safety,” said Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action, the grassroots arm of Everytown for Gun Safety. “We’re proud to support Congressman Cicilline’s re-election to Congress so he can continue his bold leadership in advancing critical, innovative, and life-saving legislation to help end gun violence.”
For more than three decades, Cicilline has been a champion of common sense legislation to reduce gun violence. As a founding member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, David led the City of Providence to its lowest crime rate in more than 40 years. As a member of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, David has championed efforts such as the Bipartisan Background Checks Act, which would require a background check for every gun sale or transfer to keep firearms out of the hands of those who shouldn’t own them, and the Enhanced Background Checks Act, which passed the House and would provide additional time for the FBI to complete a background check before licensed gun dealers can transfer firearms. David has also introduced the Untraceable Firearms Ban, which cracks down on ghost guns and was included in the House-passed Protecting Our Kids Act package, and the Active Shooter Alert Act, which would provide law enforcement with the tools to notify the public through an Amber Alert-like system when there is an active shooter incident.
# # #
