Content warning: this email contains references to gun violence and mass shootings that some readers may find upsetting.
Yesterday in El Paso, 20 people lost their lives at a shopping mall. It was a Saturday afternoon. They were killed by a man with an assault rifle, and it was over in minutes.
And then, late last night, nine people were killed during a mass shooting at a bar in Dayton, Ohio, by a man wearing body armor, wielding what has been described as an “assault-style weapon.” The shooting lasted no more than 1 minute.
This is life in America in 2019. People are killed by guns in schools, at festivals, at concerts, at places of worship, in malls, and at picnics -- everywhere people live their lives. El Paso was the 250th mass shooting in America this year, and Dayton is 251.
This doesn’t happen anywhere else. It happens in America because our so-called leaders lack the courage to act. And frankly, I’ve had enough. Have you?
As President, I will ask Congress to place comprehensive gun reform on my desk within 100 days. If they fail to act, I will take action. Here is what I will do:
- I will revoke the licenses of gun manufacturers and dealers that break the law and take the most egregious offenders to court.
- I will mandate the most comprehensive background checks in history by requiring anyone who sells more than five guns in a year to run a background check on all gun sales.
- And I will ban the importation of AR-15-style assault weapons into the United States.
These are actions well within the powers of the presidency. And I will take them. This is a public health emergency that needs to be addressed.
No more thoughts and prayers. We need action. If you’re with me, split a contribution to Giffords, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America »
Thank you for adding your voice to this fight. We can’t accept this as normal in America. We have to act, and we have to act now.
For the People,
— Kamala Harris
