Press Release: Mikie Sherrill Joins Captain Mark Kelly and Congresswoman Gabby Giffords for Veterans Tour on Gun Violence Prevention

Press Release

Calling on Congress to pass common sense gun safety legislation, Mikie Sherrill joined with former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, Captain Mark Kelly, and VoteVets Vice Chair Dan Helmer for the Giffords & VoteVets Veterans Tour. In addition to Sherrill, Giffords, Kelly, and Helmer, the event featured speakers from the community in law enforcement and the medical profession who shared experiences with gun violence in their respective lines of work.

"Today reinforced the urgent need for common sense gun safety provisions," said Mikie Sherrill. "Because of congressional inaction, doctors cannot study gun fatalities, our first responders face violent situations with domestic abusers having access to guns, and our children with mental health issues cannot receive the help they need from their doctors to keep them safe. In Congress, I will be a strong advocate for gun safety and I am proud to join with Giffords and VoteVets in that pursuit."

"Veterans are problem solvers," Captain Mark Kelly said today during the forum. "When you wake up when you're in the military you know that every single day you've got to solve problems, and in this country we have problems we need to solve. We are proud to support U.S. Navy veteran Mikie Sherrill in her bid for Congress in New Jersey's 11th District."

Today's event at the American Legion in Woodland Park is part of a Giffords & VoteVets Veterans Tour with military veteran candidates running for office who are committed to taking action to address gun violence. Giffords is the gun safety organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and Captain Mark Kelly. VoteVets was established to give veterans a voice on issues that impact the communities they served.

Mikie Sherrill is a former U.S. Navy helicopter pilot and Assistant U.S. Attorney in New Jersey. She is committed to common sense gun safety measures in Congress, including universal background checks, a ban on bump stocks, and preventing the dangerously mentally il and suspected terrorists from access to guns.

Speakers, In Order:
Dan Helmer, Vice Chair, VoteVets
Erik Luker, Police Sergeant, Woodland Park Police Department, and U.S. Marine Corps veteran
Dr. Amy Boutsikaris, Pediatric Emergency Medicine Physician
Dr. Stephanie Bonne, Assistant Professor of Surgery, Trauma and Surgical Critical Care, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in Newark, NJ
Captain Mark Kelly, Navy combat veteran and retired NASA astronaut, Co-Founder, Giffords
Former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, Co-Founder, Giffords

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