Ending Gun Violence Now with Gabby Giffords & Giffords ED Peter Ambler
In the last 10 days, this country has experienced a surge in gun violence. Come join us as we discuss what you can do with Gabby Giffords
About this event:
Yesterday afternoon in Uvalde Texas the 2nd mass shooting in 10 days occurred. Taking place at a local elementary school, 19 children and 2 teachers were tragically killed in what is now one of the deadliest shootings in the country. Gun violence has plagued our country and more increasingly in recent years.
Manny's in partnership with Giffords, whose mission is to end gun violence, is organizing an emergency online event with former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, who was almost killed by a gunman, and the Executive Director of Giffords, Peter Ambler.
The online call will be tomorrow, Thursday, May 26th at 10 AM PST.
The goal of the conversation will be to discuss Tuesday's historic and horrific shooting, how to end gun violence, what people can do right now, a report on the advocacy being done, and a call to action direct from Gabby Giffords herself.
I know you feel despair. I do too.
Don't put your head in the sand - these tragedies are preventable.
Please sign up and register and feel free to pass the invitation along.
About the Speakers:
Congresswoman Gabby Giffords
It’s not every day you encounter someone who went from running a family business to running for office—winning over voters of all stripes as a member of the Arizona legislature and then as a Member of Congress. As the youngest woman ever elected to the Arizona State Senate and a trailblazer in other offices, Gabby represented her community in the Arizona legislature from 2000 to 2005, and then in Congress from 2006 to 2012. In Washington DC, during the 2008 financial crash and other crises, Gabby never shied away from tough decisions.
On January 8, 2011, at a “Congress On Your Corner” constituent event in Tucson, Gabby was shot in the head by a gunman who killed six people and injured 12 others. Gabby stepped down from Congress in January 2012 to focus on her recovery. As the nation’s eyes were upon her, Gabby embarked on a path to regain her ability to speak and walk, inspiring the country with her resilience and optimistic spirit.
In 2013, after the tragic mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, Gabby co-founded the organization today known as Giffords. Over the past several years, the organization has been a leader in the national gun safety movement, making gun safety a kitchen table issue for voters. Giffords has helped gun safety champions win up and down the ballot in local, state, and federal races and worked hard to pass lifesaving legislation in states across the country and in the US House of Representatives.
As she leads Giffords, Gabby continues to make remarkable progress in her recovery. She helps raise awareness about aphasia, the language impairment she has suffered from since her shooting. She enjoys spending her free time playing the French horn, biking, practicing yoga, and learning Spanish. That spirit of resiliency, perseverance, and courage is one that resonates around the world. It helped her overcome tragedy, work tirelessly to recover when the odds were stacked against her, and become the nation’s most renowned leader in the movement to end gun violence.
Throughout her life, Gabby has sought to improve her community and country by using her extraordinary ability to bring people together to focus on how we can make things better. This trait has made her a powerful public figure in this moment and inspires people every day to take actions of their own to make a difference.
Peter Ambler
Peter Ambler currently serves as the executive director of Giffords: Courage to Fight Gun Violence, which he co-founded with Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, Captain Mark Kelly. Over the past few years, Giffords has emerged as a leader in the gun violence prevention movement, inspiring Americans from all walks of life to take action on our nation’s gun violence epidemic. Giffords has helped advance gun safety and defeat the gun lobby’s dangerous agenda in elections, legislatures, and courts across the country, keeping the issue at the forefront of public consciousness and amplifying the voices of the many Americans calling for change.
In his capacity as executive director, Peter has guided the growth of the organization from a start-up in Washington DC to a national group with offices and staff across the country. As Giffords has expanded, Peter has overseen the organization’s defining moments as it has challenged the NRA’s dominance, changed the politics and culture of guns, won elections, and passed legislation as part of the fight for gun safety. Peter worked closely with Senate leaders on the 2013 Manchin-Toomey background check bill and with the Obama White House on the 2016 gun safety executive actions, developed and implemented innovative advertising and electoral campaigns in elections across the country, oversaw the organization’s support for the over 300 gun safety laws that have passed since Sandy Hook, and built coalitions of prominent supporters that contribute to the mission of Giffords.
As a spokesperson for the organization, Peter has been widely featured in national media, including the Washington Post, the New York Times, Politico, Newsweek, the Huffington Post, and the Hill, among many others.
Prior to co-founding Giffords, Peter spent many years advising Members of Congress and working in the Obama administration. He worked for then-Representative Giffords in 2011 when she was shot at a Tucson supermarket during a constituent event. He is a graduate of Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.