Bishop broke boundaries in 2022 by becoming the first Asian-American Miss Texas. She’s since transcended from pageants to politics and is now running unopposed in the Democrat primary for state House District 112.
And today the Dallas resident can add another accomplishment to her resume: recipient of the first GIFFORDS Champion Award.
On Wednesday, the gun violence prevention organization GIFFORDS announced the four honorees in the award's inaugural class, including Bishop. Each of the winners is dedicated to pursuing sensible firearm safety laws, be it in statehouses or in Congress.
“What I'm advocating for, and what my generation wants, is to feel safer in places like schools, churches and grocery stores,” Bishop said.
Young Texans have grown up doing lockdown drills in schools and watching mass shootings unfold on the news. They’ve coped with hearing about the latest massacre to plague their state — from Sutherland Springs to El Paso to Uvalde to Allen — in addition to the daily gun violence rocking communities.
Nearly 4,000 people are fatally shot in Texas in a typical year, according to Everytown for Gun Safety. The dominant cause of death for Texas kids and teens? Guns.
The need for firearm reform serves as an impetus for Bishop’s campaign to unseat the Republican incumbent, longtime state Rep. Angie Chen Button of Richardson.
“This is the future of the people that live in our state,” the Southern Methodist University law school graduate said. “And if we don't take action now, we're going to continue to live in fear.”
“We have a champion in Averie who can speak on behalf of that generation now that they are running for office.” – Kevin O'Keefe, GIFFORDS
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Kevin O’Keefe, GIFFORDS Champion Award director, explained that the organization was founded by former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona after the Sandy Hook school shooting. Giffords survived being shot in the head during a 2011 constituent event near Tucson. Since then, she’s worked toward ending gun violence.
Another North Texan joined Bishop on Wednesday in being named a GIFFORDS winner: trauma surgeon Dr. Brian Williams, who’s running for the seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Colin Allred.
Young people today are bringing drive and dynamism to this issue, O’Keefe said.
“We have a champion in Averie who can speak on behalf of that generation now that they are running for office,” he added. “And I do think come 2024, they are going to be the voting bloc that puts us over and allows us to continue to build on the progress we've made.”
The Lone Star State is famous for offering comfort, hospitality, honesty, kindness and humility, Bishop said — a stark contrast to the near-ubiquitous presence of active-shooter drills.
Having worked as a substitute teacher for a time in Richardson ISD, Bishop knows the worries faced by many teachers, staff and administrators. To stave off would-be shooters, districts in North Texas and beyond have enacted “hardened” security measures.
At the same time, Texas is home to some of the nation’s weakest firearm legislation.
“We don’t have extreme risk protection orders, we don't have waiting periods and we don't have background checks for every gun purchase,” Bishop said. “Those are the main initiatives that I want to carry through when I become elected and as I will work alongside GIFFORDS here in the state of Texas.”
Forgot Twitter is still a thing! (oops) Excited to officially announce that I'm running for Texas House District 112.
— Aves | Law & Lifestyle (@AverieDanielle) August 22, 2023
Together, we can work to make Texas a better, safer home for all of us.
Help power our grassroots campaign by donating here: https://t.co/EJIPnTXTSG #texas pic.twitter.com/TC653VEYYI
There is, in fact, significant support for certain reforms in the state.
More than three-quarters of Texas voters, 76%, replied in a poll last year that they want to see the minimum gun-purchase age raised from 18 to 21. Nearly 80% of residents in a 2022 poll backed the idea of mandating background checks on firearm sales.
Yet rather than, say, listening to the majority of their constituents, Texas politicians have doubled down on unraveling restrictions and adding even more weapons into the mix. Thanks to the 2021 legislative session, a license is no longer needed to carry a handgun. Thanks to the 2023 session, each school must have armed personnel.
But Bishop’s generation could help to turn that tide.
More than 8 million newly eligible Gen Z voters will be able to throw their weight behind gun-reform candidates at the polls this year. “Right now, our schools are no longer one of the safe spaces we can send our children to without being concerned about, ‘Is my child going to return home to me today?’” Bishop said. “Parents should never have to feel that way. Students should never have to feel that way.
“And that's why I'm running for office in my 20s,” she continued. “Hopefully by running, people will feel more seen — at least [those] who are younger — and we can demand a seat at the table.”
