For Immediate Release
BRADY CAMPAIGN TO PREVENT GUN VIOLENCE
www.bradycampaign.org
CEASEFIRE MARYLAND, INC
Elections 2006
ADVOCATES FOR ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN SWEEP CLOSE CONTESTS IN MARYLAND
November 11th , 2006
Contact: Peter Hamm
202-898-0792
Annapolis, MD – Candidates who back tougher gun laws –including a ban on military-style assault weapons – swept a series of hotly-contested races in Maryland yesterday, marking a stunning comeback for gun control advocates who had been written off in recent elections.
The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and CeaseFire Maryland, Inc.’s endorsed candidates won up and down the ticket, taking races for Governor, Attorney General, U.S. Senate, and six of the state’s eight congressional seats.
In addition, Brady and CeaseFire helped elect a new generation of leaders to the Maryland State Senate, building momentum to strengthen Maryland’s gun laws. The Brady Campaign sent more than 42,000 emails to voters in Maryland.
“In this election, the gun issue was in play, gun violence prevention groups won while the gun pushers lost, and there is now a shift in momentum on the issue of common sense gun restrictions,” said Paul Helmke, President of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.
The NRA suffered a huge setback as their endorsed candidate, Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele, lost his bid for the U.S. Senate to long-time gun violence prevention champion, Congressman Ben Cardin. Baltimore Mayor Martin O’Malley, who supports a statewide ban on military-style assault rifles, beat NRA endorsed incumbent Governor Robert Ehrlich. Governor Ehrlich has long opposed a ban on assault weapons and voted in Congress to repeal the federal ban in 1996. Brady-endorsed Doug Gansler easily defeated NRA-endorsed Scott Rolle for Attorney General.
In state legislative races, Jim Rosapepe, a former ambassador and state delegate, unseated State Senator John Giannetti in both the Democratic primary and again yesterday after Giannetti switched parties. Giannetti was endorsed by the NRA. I’m glad the people of the 21st District support my efforts to get assault weapons off Maryland streets once and for all,” Rosapepe said. “I couldn’t have won this race without the help of Sarah and Jim Brady and the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.” More than 41,000 pieces of direct mail on the assault weapons ban issue landed in homes in the Rosapepe district.
In an open race for State Senate District 19 race in Maryland, newcomer and long-time gun violence prevention champion Mike Lenett easily won his race by stressing his support from Sarah Brady. And James Robey, a former police chief and outgoing Howard County executive, won in District 13, with help from the Brady Campaign and CeaseFire Maryland Inc. Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee Chair and gun violence prevention champion, Brian Frosh, was re-elected in Senate District 16.
“This election sent a strong message to legislators who think that playing footsie with the gun lobby is a winning political strategy,” said Lisa Delity, President of CeaseFire Maryland, Inc. “We look forward to working with strong leaders like Ben Cardin, Martin O’Malley, Doug Gansler, and our friends in the state legislature to break the gridlock that has kept common sense gun laws bottled up at both the state and federal levels.”
As the nation's largest, non-partisan, grassroots organization leading the fight to prevent gun violence, the Brady Campaign, working with its dedicated network of Million Mom March Chapters, is devoted to creating an America free from gun violence, where all Americans are safe at home, at school, at work, and in our communities.
CeaseFire Maryland, Inc. is a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization that advocates for policies to prevent and reduce gun violence in Maryland.
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