John—This weekend, gunmen killed at least 29 people in
back-to-back mass shootings—in El Paso, Texas, in an attack apparently
fueled by anti-immigrant racism and white supremacy—and in Dayton, Ohio.
These were the 250th and 251th mass shootings this year in America.^1
In comparison, there's been one mass shooting this year in Canada and
three in Mexico.^2
We can tackle the epidemic of gun violence in America. But Republican
Senate Leader Mitch McConnell and other GOP senators are blocking sweeping
gun control legislation passed by the majority-Democrat House earlier this
year.
That's why we wrote you last week—after the mass shooting in Gilroy,
California—that we must hold McConnell and other GOP senators accountable
and defeat those who are up for re-election in 2020 (especially
McConnell), starting with putting up billboards in central, high-traffic
locations in their home states that highlight their role in America's gun
violence epidemic. Will you chip in now to help us pay for the billboards?
[ [link removed] ]Yes, I'll chip in $3 now to help hold GOP lawmakers
accountable, fight the NRA, and end the epidemic of gun violence in
America.
In the wake of these horrific tragedies, we simply must come together and
speak out. See below for more. –Emily, Emma, Stephen, Manny, and the rest
of the team
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Dear MoveOn member,
Last Sunday, a gunman with a military assault-style weapon killed three
people, including a 6-year-old boy, and injured 12 at a garlic festival in
California. It was the 42nd mass shooting in July alone and the 246th in
America this year.^3
These shootings need to stop. At festivals. At shopping centers. At
schools. At places of worship. At night clubs. At movie theaters.
There are so many simple, clear steps that lawmakers can take to reduce
the epidemic of gun violence in America—by passing into law policies that
are supported by an overwhelming majority of Americans and even most gun
owners.^4,5
Universal background checks. Closing the gun show loophole. Banning
assault weapons such as AR-15s. Banning bump stocks. Addressing America's
mental health crisis. And redoubling our efforts to combat white supremacy
and domestic terrorism.
Indeed, the Democratic U.S. House passed two bills that would accomplish
many of these goals earlier this year, but Mitch McConnell and the GOP—at
the bidding of the National Rifle Association (NRA) and gun
manufacturers—won't even allow the bills to come up for a vote in the
Senate.^6 They won't even allow federal funding for research into gun
violence.^7 It's outrageous. And it's heartbreaking.
That's why we're going to hold McConnell and other vulnerable GOP senators
accountable and defeat them in 2020, starting with putting up billboards
in central, high-traffic locations in their home states that highlight
their role in America's gun violence epidemic. Will you pitch in
$3 to help us pay for the billboards?
[ [link removed] ]Yes, I'll chip in now to help hold GOP lawmakers accountable, fight the
NRA, and end the epidemic of gun violence in America.
The horrific massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School nearly seven years
ago should have been a tipping point on gun violence in America, but since
then:
* There have been approximately 2,185 mass shootings.^8
* Congress has passed into law zero measures to make our children and
communities safer.
* The NRA and gun manufacturers continue to write big checks to
Republican politicians.
According to polls, Mitch McConnell and other GOP senators who are up in
for re-election in 2020 are increasingly vulnerable.^9 But to defeat them
in 2020—which is the only way we can finally pass legislation to address
America's gun violence crisis—we need to make sure their constituents know
that they're standing with the NRA and blocking commonsense reforms to
address America's gun violence epidemic.
We didn't budget for the billboards, which is why we're asking you to chip
in now, so we can quickly purchase them. We can only do it if we raise the
money now. Can you chip in $3—or whatever you can
afford—right now?
[ [link removed] ]Yes, I'll chip in to help hold McConnell and other NRA-funded
politicians accountable.
We can never forget that the GOP is culpable in these heartbreaking and
avoidable gun deaths, as a result of their obedience to the NRA's
dangerous agenda. Let's make sure that the voters in their states know it,
too.
Thanks for all you do.
–Emily, Emma, Stephen, Manny, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "Dayton, Ohio shooting: Nine dead, 26 injured; suspected gunman killed,
police say," USA Today, August 4, 2019
[link removed]
2. Tweet by Ian Bremmer, August 3, 2019
[link removed]
3. Tweet by Gun Violence Archive, July 29, 2019
[link removed]
4. "Americans support gun control but doubt lawmakers will act:
Reuters/Ipsos poll," Reuters, February 8, 2019
[link removed]
5. "Most Gun Owners Support Stricter Laws — Even NRA Members," Time, March
13, 2018
[link removed]
6. "House Passes Sweeping Gun Bill," NPR, February 27, 2019
[link removed]
7. "House GOP appropriators block funding for gun violence research,"
Politico, July 11, 2018
[link removed]
8. "After Sandy Hook, we said never again. And then we let 2,185 mass
shootings happen." Vox, accessed July 30, 2019
[link removed]
9. "Poll: McConnell is most unpopular senator," The Hill, July 18, 2019
[link removed]
Want to support our work? The MoveOn community will work every moment, day
by day and year by year, to resist Trump's agenda, contain the damage,
defeat hate with love, and begin the process of swinging the nation's
pendulum back toward sanity, decency, and the kind of future that we must
never give up on. And to do it we need your support, now more than ever.
Will you stand with us?
[ [link removed] ]Click here to chip in $3, or whatever you can afford.
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