Newtown Action Alliance and States United to Prevent Gun Violence Action Fund Endorse Khary Penebaker for Wisconsin’s Fifth Congressional District

For Immediate Release

October 11, 2016

Contact:

Julia Wyman
julia@ceasefireusa.org

John Kelley
jkelley@newtownaction.org
917-679-6475

Newtown Action Alliance and States United to Prevent Gun Violence Action Fund Endorse Khary Penebaker for Wisconsin’s Fifth Congressional District

Newtown, CT-Newtown Action Alliance and States United to Prevent Gun Violence Action Fund proudly endorse Khary Penebaker in his challenge to Jim Sensenbrenner in Wisconsin’s 5th Congressional District.

Over 400,000 Americans have been killed or injured by guns since a gunman with severe mental illness killed 20 innocent children and six educators in an elementary school in Sandy Hook, Connecticut. Representative Sensenbrenner and other members of House of Representatives who are in the pockets of the corporate gun lobby with an A-rating from the NRA, have shamefully blocked all votes on all gun safety measures to reduce the scourge of gun violence in our nation. It’s time for Americans to elect candidates who will take action on the House floor on Capitol Hill.

Mr. Penebaker is a candidate who would be a strong advocate for gun violence prevention in Congress. As an infant, his mother tragically committed suicide with a gun. Every year, over 20,000 (two thirds of all gun deaths) Americans commit suicide with a firearm. Mr. Penebaker has transformed his family tragedy into action by advocating for families of victims who have been touched by gun violence.

According to the Gun Violence Archive, 1,383 residents of Wisconsin have been killed or injured by guns between 2014 and October 2016. According to Wisconsin Council on Children and Families, “Between 1999 and 2014, 408 children in Wisconsin were killed by guns, including 21 children in 2014. Put another way, a child has died from injuries inflicted by a firearm about once every two weeks in Wisconsin since 1999. Firearms are the third leading cause of injury death for Wisconsin children, and they have killed more children in Wisconsin than drowning, fires, and falls combined.” As a father of three young children, Mr. Penebaker understands the need to protect our children and families from gun injuries and gun deaths. He would do so by supporting the following measures he has outlined on his website:

1. UNIVERSAL BACKGROUND CHECKS. Background checks on private sales are the most comprehensive way to reduce gun violence. Having background checks that extend to in-person sales and include all types of guns can help to reduce gun violence overall and can mitigate the problems that arise when neighboring states have divergent gun laws. Universal background checks are supported by 90 percent of the American people, including more than 80 percent of Republicans and more than 70 percent of gun owners — and 80 percent of NRA members.
2. IMPROVED MENTAL HEALTH CARE. Khary will work in Congress to ensure that the Federal government involves States, healthcare professionals, and private insurers to establish better long-term mental health care and screening techniques.
3. ENHANCED DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PROTECTION. Khary will make the recently enacted Wisconsin bipartisan domestic violence law (the SAFE Act), which restricts weapons possession in domestic violence cases, into a model for federal legislation. Many states still don’t have a mechanism in place to remove firearms from the possession of a convicted domestic abuser. This is something that needs to change: 51 women are shot and killed every month by a current or former intimate partner. The best indicator of future violence is prior violence.
4. CLOSING THE TERROR GAP. Khary will implement firearm restrictions for suspected persons on the federal no-fly list to prevent terrorist attacks. If a person should be prohibited from boarding a plane, they should be prohibited from purchasing a gun. We need a process by which someone can appeal to get their name removed if it’s been added in error.

The Congress desperately needs conscientious members who will stand up to the corporate gun lobby on behalf of all victims of gun violence and their families. Wisconsin’s Fifth District, the State of Wisconsin and the United States need Khary Penebaker’s strong voice and vote in the House of Representatives.

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The Newtown Action Alliance (www.newtownaction.org) is a grassroots organization formed after the tragic shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School. It works to make America’s children, families, and all citizens safer through legislative and cultural change that will reduce gun violence. Newtown Action Alliance is a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization.

States United to Prevent Gun Violence Action Fund, Inc. (supgvactionfundinc.org) is a 501 (C) (4) civic and education organization dedicated to preventing gun violence in all forms.

This endorsement is made independently and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.