Gabrielle Giffords' anti-gun violence group charts new course

The anti-gun violence group created by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords now bears her name, along with a new mission to inspire people to take action.

Americans for Responsible Solutions, founded five years ago after the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, adopted “Giffords” as its new name and created a new website, the group announced Tuesday.

Initially, the focus of the group was finding responsible ways to end gun violence, Mark Kelly, husband to Giffords and former NASA astronaut, said in a conference call Tuesday. The new name shows the focus of the group has expanded to helping people find the courage to act, he said, and “Gabby exemplifies courage.”

Giffords was one of 19 people wounded in a mass shooting in 2011 during a meet-and-greet at a Tucson-area grocery store. Six people were killed.

However, Kelly said the movement to end gun violence is not about just Giffords. Instead, it’s about everybody fighting for safer communities.

“Every day I meet brave Americans who are standing with me in the fight for a safer future — from law enforcement officers and military veterans, to parents, community leaders, and concerned voters,” Giffords said in a news release.

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The group is fighting pushes in Congress to make firearm silencers easier to obtain and to allow people to carry concealed firearms across state lines.

The organization played a role in passing more than 200 gun laws in 45 states and D.C. in the past four years, said Peter Ambler, executive director of Giffords.

Last year, Americans for Responsible Solutions joined with California-based Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, founded in 1993 after eight people were killed and six wounded in a shooting at a San Francisco law firm.

The center is now known as the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.

The organization’s political arm, Giffords PAC, informs voters about legislation, endorses candidates in key races, educates candidates on gun policies, and runs campaigns to “shine a spotlight on elected officials who support dangerous gun laws,” the news release said.

One such campaign was spending $2.6 million in the U.S. Senate race in New Hampshire to defeat Sen. Kelly Ayotte.