John, 11 years ago, a gunman armed with an assault weapon killed 20 children and 6 faculty members at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

The Sandy Hook shooting was a moment of national reckoning. Americans knew then that something must be done to stop horrific shootings like this one from ever happening again. But in the 11 years since then, the gun lobby has worked overtime to block the commonsense reforms that would have stopped future mass shootings.

Sandy Hook, Orlando, Parkland, Uvalde, Buffalo — the list of communities devastated by assault weapons goes on and on. And it's long past time for Washington to finally listen to the majority of voters and BAN these weapons.

Leaders like Kirsten Gillibrand are working tirelessly to protect communities from gun violence, but we all have the power to use our voice for change. That's why we're asking 5,000 people to sign our petition to support an assault weapons ban before midnight tonight. Please, will you add your name now to keep these weapons of war away from schools, off our streets and out of our communities?

Today, it feels as though we're stuck in an endless cycle of gun violence. Even as we mourn the most recent shooting — at a school, a bowling alley, a grocery store or even a family's own backyard — it's impossible to shake the feeling that the next mass killing is inevitable.

But this cycle isn't endless. The next mass killing isn't inevitable. There are concrete, straightforward steps that we can take right now to end the cycle and protect our communities from gun violence. And the vast majority of Americans support these kinds of commonsense reforms.

Last year, we took a meaningful step forward by passing a package of gun safety reforms — including Kirsten's legislation to end gun trafficking. But there is so much more that we must still do. That starts with getting assault weapons off our streets. Kirsten won't stop fighting until we pass this legislation and end this epidemic, but she needs grassroots Americans like you to stand with her.

So please, if you believe that we can win a future where communities are free from gun violence, will you add your name to support an assault weapons ban before midnight tonight?

Thank you,

Team Gillibrand