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.

Dear MoveOn member,

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.

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?

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.

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.3,4

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.5 They won't even allow federal funding for research into gun violence.6 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?

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:

According to polls, Mitch McConnell and other GOP senators who are up in for re-election in 2020 are increasingly vulnerable.8 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?

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
https://act.moveon.org/go/72806?t=5&akid=240920%2E40999114%2EfToZcr

2. Tweet by Ian Bremmer, August 3, 2019
https://act.moveon.org/go/72807?t=7&akid=240920%2E40999114%2EfToZcr

3. "Americans support gun control but doubt lawmakers will act: Reuters/Ipsos poll," Reuters, February 8, 2019
https://act.moveon.org/go/68479?t=9&akid=240920%2E40999114%2EfToZcr
 
4. "Most Gun Owners Support Stricter Laws — Even NRA Members," Time, March 13, 2018
https://act.moveon.org/go/68480?t=11&akid=240920%2E40999114%2EfToZcr
 
5. "House Passes Sweeping Gun Bill," NPR, February 27, 2019
https://act.moveon.org/go/68481?t=13&akid=240920%2E40999114%2EfToZcr
 
6. "House GOP appropriators block funding for gun violence research," Politico, July 11, 2018
https://act.moveon.org/go/68482?t=15&akid=240920%2E40999114%2EfToZcr
 
7. "After Sandy Hook, we said never again. And then we let 2,185 mass shootings happen." Vox, accessed July 30, 2019
https://act.moveon.org/go/68483?t=17&akid=240920%2E40999114%2EfToZcr
 
8. "Poll: McConnell is most unpopular senator," The Hill, July 18, 2019
https://act.moveon.org/go/68663?t=19&akid=240920%2E40999114%2EfToZcr

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Click here to chip in $3, or whatever you can afford.


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