“With gun violence impacting communities all over Michigan every day – from big cities like Detroit to small towns like Oxford – Elissa has put the safety of Michiganders first and worked to pass meaningful gun safety laws.”
Courtesy of Elissa Slotkin
Former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords joined community leaders for an event today at Franklin Wright Settlements in Detroit to formally endorse U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin in Michigan’s U.S. Senate race. Giffords, who survived an assassination attempt in 2011 and has since become one of the nation’s leading gun safety advocates, praised Slotkin’s commitment to and past experience with passing gun violence prevention legislation in Congress. “Elissa has the unwavering commitment needed to address the epidemic of gun violence our country faces,” Giffords said. “Having grown up around firearms and worked in national security, she understands that we can respect the rights of gun owners while supporting the common sense reforms needed to keep our families safe. With gun violence impacting communities all over Michigan every day – from big cities like Detroit to small towns like Oxford – Elissa has put the safety of Michiganders first and worked to pass meaningful gun safety laws. With our gun safety majority in the Senate on the line next fall, we must elect leaders who understand the urgency of this issue—starting with my friend Elissa. I am proud to endorse her today.”
Read more about today’s event in Detroit:
Highlights:
Detroit News: Giffords backs Slotkin in U.S. Senate race as gun violence becomes focal point
Former Arizona congresswoman Gabby Giffords, the survivor of an assassination attempt, endorsed U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin's campaign for Michigan's open Senate seat on Monday, highlighting how gun violence could be a major issue in next year's election.
"The fight to stop gun violence can change lives. We are at a crossroads, we can let the shooting continue or we can act. We can protect our families and our future," Giffords said at a Slotkin campaign event held at Franklin Wright Settlements, the oldest human services organization in the country based in Detroit.
”We should care about gun violence no matter where it happens,” Slotkin said. “But as someone who's had a career in national security, I was trained to look objectively at the threats to Americans, and then work to counter those threats. And right now, the greatest threat to the children of the United States is gun violence.”
Advocates with the groups Ceasefire Detroit, One Detroit, Moms Demand Action and Lansing-based Mikey23 Foundation attended the event at Franklin Wright Settlements' office in Detroit's New Center neighborhood.
Michigan Democratic Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin, one of the leading candidates to replace Michigan’s soon-to-retire U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, is getting some help on the campaign trail from a high-profile name.
Former Arizona Congresswoman Gabby Giffords is endorsing Slotkin via her GIFFORDS PAC gun reform organization. Giffords, who was forced to resign due to brain injury after being shot in the head in 2011, said Slotkin is a key ally in enacting gun reform in the U.S.
Slotkin had two mass shootings in her current congressional district in less than two years — 2021’s shooting at Oxford High School and at Michigan State University back in February.
Gifford’s political action committee says Slotkin is the first federal candidate they’ve thrown their support to in this election cycle. Both women called for gun reform laws at an event earlier this year in Lansing.
“In the shadow of tragedies like the shootings at Oxford High School and Michigan State University, she’s put the safety of Michiganders first and worked to pass meaningful gun safety laws. With our gun safety majority in the Senate on the line next fall, we must elect leaders who understand the urgency of this issue — starting with my friend, Elissa. I am proud to endorse her today.”
Giffords, who was shot in 2011 and has since become one of the nation’s leading advocates on gun violence prevention. She led a rally at the state Capitol in Lansing earlier this year after the shooting at Michigan State University in Slotkin’s district that left three students dead and five others injured. Slotkin spoke at that event.
In a candid moment during the Detroit news conference, Slotkin noted that she grew up in a family and in a community where guns were present in homes and on family farms. She has also carried firearms during her career as CIA Middle East analyst working alongside the U.S. military during three tours in Iraq as a militia expert.
Michael McKissic of Lansing attended the Monday news conference. His 23-year-old son Michael McKissic II was fatally shot in 2015. The Mikey 23 Foundation was founded in memory of Michael McKissic II. It sponsors a “Stop the Violence” march annually. “It’s not normal for parents to bury their children,” McKissic said, and also thanked Slotkin for supporting the Mikey 23 Foundation and her legislative efforts on Capitol Hill. “This is not a politician,” McKissic said about Slotkin. “This is someone who cares about our community. She cares about the community.”
Fmr Congresswoman who survived being shot in the head in 2011 was in Detroit today campaigning with Democratic candidate Elissa Slotkin.
“We are at a crossroads. We can let the shooting continue or we can act. We can protect our families, our future. We can be on the right side of history.”
U.S. Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin and former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords are in Detroit Monday, holding an event about gun violence prevention.
Giffords is a gun violence survivor—she was shot in 2011 in Tucson, Arizona, and Slotkin represents areas that have seen two school shootings. The first was at Oxford High School in 2021 when Ethan Crumbley opened fire, killing four classmates and injuring seven others. The second school shooting was at Michigan State University in February when Anthony Mcrae walked onto campus, killing three students and critically injuring five others.
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