Giffords, Kelly Ramp Up Pressure on Pro-Gun Democrats

On June 25, Gabrielle Giffords and her husband Mark Kelly announced they will be undertaking a week-long tour for gun control. 

According to The Hill, the tour will begin July 1 in Nevada and “will include stops in Alaska, Maine, North Carolina, North Dakota, and Ohio.” 

This means Giffords and her husband will be visiting states where Senators like Mark Begich (D-AK) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) voted against expanded background checks and have since received pressure from gun control groups on many fronts. 

It also means they will be trying to boost support for other Senators like Kay Hagan (D-NC), a red state Democrat who voted for expanding background checks on April 17 and now faces strong Republican opposition for 2014.

Kelly has not mentioned whether he will use the tour to talk about the fact that he was denied purchase of an AR-15 in Tucson, AZ earlier this year. He also has not alluded to whether he will be giving up the 17-round magazine he keeps in a Glock 9mm should Democrat Senators pass gun control legislation requiring him to do so. 

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