Fact Check: Toomey Is A Recognized Bipartisan Leader On Gun Safety

Statement

Katie McGinty finds herself on defense again, releasing a desperate television ad where she unsuccessfully attempts to undermine the wide bipartisan consensus that Pat Toomey is one of the preeminent leaders on gun safety and public safety in the Senate.

In her ad, McGinty touts one partisan Democratic proposal and ignores everything else Pat has done to earn the impressive endorsements of bipartisan gun safety groups run by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords.

"Pat Toomey has been recognized for his efforts to forge bipartisan consensus in the Senate on gun safety by President Obama and officially endorsed by Mike Bloomberg and Gabby Giffords,"said Toomey for Senate spokesman Ted Kwong. "This ad shows that Katie McGinty doesn't know the first thing about reaching across the aisle, and her hyperpartisan approach would only make real results on gun safety less likely."

BACKGROUND:

TOOMEY HAS GUN SAFETY ENDORSEMENTS FROM ACROSS THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM

Former Mayor Mike Bloomberg (I): "Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced his endorsement Monday of Republican Sen. Pat Toomey's re-election bid, citing the Pennsylvania legislator's work on gun-control legislation." (Laura Olson, "Ex-NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg endorses Pat Toomey," The Morning Call, 8/1/16)

Erica Smegielski, Sandy Hook Victims Advocate: "The daughter of a Sandy Hook shooting victim is backing Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), praising him for crossing party lines to vote in favor of background checks. EricaSmegielski is the daughter of Dawn Hochsprung, the Sandy Hook Elementary School principal who was among the 26 killed in a 2012 mass shooting at the Connecticut school... She defended the decision to back Toomey in a Facebook post Monday evening. 'I've said time and time again, I am a single issue voter -- Democrat, Republican or otherwise -- I will stand with those who I know will vote on the side of public safety,' she wrote. 'Senator Toomey stood with me when I needed him -- and when the country needed him. It's time for us to stand up and have his back to repay him." (Ben Kamisar, "Sandy Hook relative backs GOP Sen. Toomey," The Hill, 8/16/16)

Former Rep. Gabby Giffords (D): "Americans for Responsible Solutions, the anti-gun violence PAC founded by former congresswoman Gabby Giffords and her husband, Mark Kelly, on Monday endorsed two Republican senators for their 2013 vote following the Sandy Hook Elementary massacre." (Nick Gass, "Giffords' anti-gun violence PAC endorses Toomey, Kirk," POLITICO, 8/22/16)

TOOMEY HAS REACHED ACROSS THE AISLE TO TRY AND STOP TERRORISTS FROM BUYING GUNS

Toomey Advocated For Sen. Susan Collins' Bipartisan Efforts To Prevent Terrorists From Getting Guns. "After seeing his own bill to address the so-called 'terror loophole' for gun purchases fail to gain support, U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey is now backing a new plan that many of his fellow Republicans oppose. Toomey, R-Lehigh County, took to the Senate floor Wednesday to argue for an amendment from U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, that would address the problem of those on terror watch lists trying to buy guns. 'It's a compromise bill that I think strikes the right balance. And as I announced yesterday, I intend to support her legislation. There's no question. It's an objective fact that if Sen. Collins' legislation becomes law the attorney general will have a tool that the attorney general does not have today,' Toomey said. 'It's a tool that will stop terrorists from being able to legally buy a gun. It's as simple as that.'" (J.D. Prose, "Toomey backs new measure to close 'terror loophole' in gun purchases," Beaver County Times, 6/22/16)
"Bipartisan Gun Proposal Advances In The Senate." "The Senate on Thursday voted against tabling a bipartisan proposal aimed at keeping suspected terrorists from purchasing guns, meaning the measure will advance further in the Senate. ... Seven other Republicans joined Collins in voting against tabling the amendment: Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee; Kelly Ayotte, R-New Hampshire; Dan Coats, R-Indiana; Jeff Flake, R-Arizona; Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina; Mark Kirk, R-Illinois; and Pat Toomey, R-Pennsylvania." (Emily Schultheis, "Bipartisan gun proposal advances in the Senate," CBS News, 6/23/16)
Every Present Democrat Supported. "All Senate Democrats voted to keep the bill alive except for two, Dianne Feinstein of California and Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who missed the vote." (Sean Cockerham, "Compromise on no-fly, no buy survives a Senate vote to kill it," McClatchyDC, 6/23/16)

Toomey Worked With Gun Safety Advocates For Months And Introduced His Own Legislation To Prevent Terrorists From Getting Guns. "Sen. Pat Toomey (R., Pa.) formally introduced a bill Thursday to bar suspected terrorists from buying guns, wading again into one of the country's most divisive issues. But the prospects for his proposal and any other new gun laws remained dim." (Jonathan Tamari, "Toomey gun bill faces challenges from both parties," The Philadelphia Inquirer, 6/16/16)
"Toomey's approach, which would allow the attorney general to create a terrorist screening list, may not be perfect, either. But he has been -- courageously in our view -- reaching out to Everytown for Gun Safety, the nonprofit launched by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg." (Editorial, "OPINION: Sen. Pat Toomey bravely does something almost no lawmaker does these days: He reaches across the aisle on gun regulation," LNP, 6/17/16)
"Responding to criticism that he only came to the issue in an election year, a Toomey spokeswoman said his staff began talks with the Bloomberg group in March and received draft legislation April 4." (Jonathan Tamari, "Toomey gun bill won't get a vote," The Philadelphia Inquirer, 6/16/16)

MCGINTY HAS REPEATEDLY TRIED TO POLITICIZE GUN SAFETY WHILE TOOMEY HAS LED

PolitiFact Pennsylvania Rated McGinty's Attempt To Discredit Senator Toomey's Record As "Mostly False." "We rate the claim Mostly False." (Anna Orso, "Pat Toomey's gun control bill and Katie McGinty's post-Orlando slam," PolitiFact Pennsylvania, 6/15/16)

The Patriot-News Was Dismayed By McGinty's Pointless "Posturing." "McGinty, meanwhile, as a candidate, has it easy. Relieved of the responsibilities of actual governance, she's free to posture to her heart's content. Which, it should be noted, accomplishes absolutely nothing. Toomey, meanwhile, said this week that he wants to work to improve the Collins bill." (John L. Micek, "'There was an opportunity to get things accomplished here' - The Senate collapsed on guns. Again," The Patriot-News, 6/24/16)

The Philadelphia Daily News' John Baer Expressed Dismay At McGinty's Smears. "So, no surprise, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Katie McGinty is calling out her Republican opponent, Sen. Pat Toomey, to do more to fight gun violence. There is some irony here. Toomey's just about the only Republican anywhere who's actually tried to do something on guns. He pushed to expand background checks for gun purchases after the December 2012 shooting deaths of 20 elementary school children and six educators in Newtown, Conn. The effort failed - twice." (John Baer, "McGinty, Toomey & guns. Sigh.," Philadelphia Daily News, 6/15/16)
"But McGinty is quoted in a piece by my colleagues Jonathan Tamari and Chris Brennan as saying Toomey 'has worked to allow suspected terrorists to buy guns.' Really? He worked to get terrorists guns? Is it me, or is that slightly overstated?" (John Baer, "McGinty, Toomey & guns. Sigh.," Philadelphia Daily News, 6/15/16)
"Even though the Orlando shooter, Omar Mateen, was on an FBI watch list a few years back, he was removed from the list after two investigations. So linking Mateen and Orlando to Toomey's vote last December is disingenuous. It implies a 'yes' vote from Toomey could have somehow resulted in stopping Mateen (who was not on a watch list, and had two gun licenses and legally purchased weapons) from his rampage." (John Baer, "McGinty, Toomey & guns. Sigh.," Philadelphia Daily News, 6/15/16)
"But, by all means, let's rev up the rhetoric. Let's see what comes of that." (John Baer, "McGinty, Toomey & guns. Sigh.," Philadelphia Daily News, 6/15/16)

A Lancaster Newspaper Editorial Panned McGinty's Partisan Attacks. "Despite what his Democratic opponent Katie McGinty has been saying this week, he's not a National Rifle Association shill. Indeed, it was Toomey who worked with Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook massacre on legislation that would have expanded federal background checks to gun purchases online and at gun shows. Their effort failed, but it was a noble one." (Editorial, "OPINION: Sen. Pat Toomey bravely does something almost no lawmaker does these days: He reaches across the aisle on gun regulation," LNP, 6/17/16)
"It's so rare in these days of depressingly pervasive political polarization to see a lawmaker -- particularly one fighting for his political life -- make a plea for bipartisanship. And bipartisanship, to boot, on one of the most divisive issues of our time. McGinty has derided Toomey's efforts as 'political calculation,' but we're not 100 percent sure there's much political hay to be made of fighting for gun regulation -- there's a lot of red, and a lot of Second Amendment fervor, in this blue state of ours." (Editorial, "OPINION: Sen. Pat Toomey bravely does something almost no lawmaker does these days: He reaches across the aisle on gun regulation," LNP, 6/17/16)

A Delaware County Daily Times Editorial Echoed Criticism Of McGinty's Smears. "One of those who reached across the aisle in a bipartisan effort to push the legislation through was first-term Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Pat Toomey. It was a courageous stand, one that carried definite political risks, which belies the criticism he is now receiving from Democratic challenger Katie McGinty." (Editorial, "Editorial: Now is the time to take action on guns," Delaware County Daily Times, 6/16/16)

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