John, my name is Bradley Whitford. You might know me from my role on The West Wing. In that show, the folks in Washington faced difficult choices and hard problems. But at the end of the day, they always made the right choice for families that they swore to serve.

Unfortunately, that's just not how things work in the real world.

In the real world, leaders in Washington sit idly by as hundreds of mass shootings occur every single year, killing schoolchildren, grocery shoppers, and churchgoers. In the real world, politicians happily accept blank checks from the gun lobby in exchange for their vote against life-saving gun safety legislation. In the real world, it’s the gun lobby that runs things in Washington — not the American people.

But luckily, there are good guys in the real world, too. The team at Brady is fighting every single day to win a future where no parent has to worry that their child will be shot at school, where shoppers at a mall or a grocery store don't have to run from bullets, where folks can go to their places of worship in peace. But we all have a part to play in this fight, John — and Brady can't continue this fight without you. That's why I'm personally asking you to make a $5 donation to support Brady and their urgent mission. Please, will you chip in now to win a future free from gun violence?

The gun lobby has a vice-like grip on Washington, John. There is broad support among Americans for an assault weapons ban, universal background checks, and other simple, commonsense reforms that we know will make our communities safer.

But for decades, the gun lobby has been bankrolling an extremist, out-of-touch pro-gun agenda that's led to more shootings, more guns on our streets, and more deaths. Last year, interest groups spent $8.5 MILLION lobbying to block gun safety reform and make it easier to access these deadly weapons.

Thankfully for all of us, there are two gun safety champions hard at work in the White House and a majority in the Senate. And there's the team at Brady, who works tirelessly to advocate for gun safety legislation, defeat the gun lobby, and end gun violence. Thanks to activists like you, last year we celebrated the passage of the most substantial gun violence reform in decades. 

But this fight is only just beginning, and there are crucial elections just around the corner. We have to be ready to take on the gun lobby — and we have to do it together. Please, will you make a donation before midnight tonight to fight back against bought-and-paid-for politicians and end gun violence?

The road ahead of us isn't easy. But together, I know that we can win a safer future and elect leaders in Washington who will truly serve us — not the gun lobby.

Thanks so much,

Bradley Whitford
Activist and Actor