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Washington D.C., June 26, 2020 - Today, the Brady Campaign is proud to endorse eight candidates for the Arizona State Legislature and one candidate for the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. Brady believes that these candidates will bring much needed leadership to address the State’s current gun laws, which rank among the least-safe in the United States.
For the Arizona House of Representatives, Brady Has Endorsed:
- Daniel Hernandez, LD-02
- Sharon Girard, LD-08
- Lorenzo Sierra, LD-19
- Judy Schwiebert, LD-20
- Jennifer Longdon, LD-24
- Diego Rodriguez, LD-27
For the Arizona Senate, Brady Has Endorsed:
- Douglas Ervin, LD-20
- Lela Alston, LD-24
For the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, Brady has Endorsed:
- Whitney Walker, District-03
Brady President Kris Brown said:
“For the first time in recent history, we stand at the precipice of a gun safety majority in the Arizona Legislature. The systemic change that our country demands is possible when we send gun violence prevention champions, like those endorsed here today, to the halls of power where they can change the institutions that currently allow for gun violence to continue unaddressed. Arizona’s gun laws have consistently been among the weakest in the nation, a trend that we know leads to high rates of gun injury and fatality. I look forward to joining Arizonans in welcoming these gun safety candidates to office, where they will continue to lead on gun violence prevention, saving the lives of many. Brady is proud to endorse these candidates for election in 2020.”
History of Arizona Gun Violence
Since 2014, there have been 24 mass shootings, four mass murders, and 1,773 total injuries due to gun violence in Arizona. The number of teens who have been injured is 120. The number of children (age 0-11) who have been injured is 34. In 2020 so far, there have been 175 reported injuries due to guns, and 162 deaths caused by either gun homicides, murders, or unintentional firings. With respect to their gun laws, Arizona does not have universal background checks. Arizona also has no state-wide mandates for safe-storage practices. Safe gun storage is proven way to limit deaths by both suicide and of young people.
In this age of civil unrest, it is important to check the actions of those who are supposed to represent the people. The voting booth is the place for citizens to perform that check, and is in fact the pillar of American democracy. Citizens are calling for safer communities. Brady knows that these candidates are the people that will change Arizona for the better. We are confident that they will work to create a safer state for all Arizonans.
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Brady has one powerful mission — to unite all Americans against gun violence. We work across Congress, the courts, and our communities with over 90 grassroots chapters, bringing together young and old, red and blue, and every shade of color to find common ground in common sense. In the spirit of our namesakes Jim and Sarah Brady, we have fought for over 45 years to take action, not sides, and we will not stop until this epidemic ends. It’s in our hands.