Few, if any, places in our nation are entirely safe from gun violence. In the United States, mass shootings have taken place in movie theaters, in supermarkets, on public transportation, in churches, at concerts, in bowling alleys, and perhaps the most heartbreaking of all, in our schools. 

As a new school year begins, instead of excitement, we’re confronted with yet another deadly mass shooting on school grounds. Our thoughts are with Apalachee High School in Georgia, where four were killed, nine were injured, and countless others are traumatized. 

Active shooter drills have become a mandatory part of the curriculum in at least 37 states while gun safety laws are becoming more and more lax. From state legislators to Congress to the Supreme Court, we need to make sure that we have people in office who are committed to changing the deadly course our country has been on since Columbine. 

The world we live in now can only be changed by electing leaders who will pass legislation to strengthen gun safety laws, and a president who will appoint Supreme Court justices to the bench who uphold those laws to keep our children and grandchildren safe.

Just a few months ago, the right-wing majority on the Supreme Court reversed the ban on bumpstocks on semi-automatic rifles—a ban enacted in direct response to a bump stock being used to commit the most deadly mass shooting in U.S. history. That decision was made possible by the three justices Donald Trump appointed to the Court. Earlier in 2022, those same justices issued a landmark decision declaring that carrying a handgun in public was a constitutional right guaranteed by the second amendment, overturning the gun safety laws in my state that had been in effect for over a hundred years.

We can’t let Trump appoint more NRA-beholden justices to the Supreme Court. Pledge to become a Supreme Court voter this year and make sure we get Harris and Walz into the White House.

MAKE THE PLEDGE

The decisions the Supreme Court makes directly impact our lives and our safety—and the next president could have the opportunity to appoint four judges to the bench during their term. Trump, despite an assassination attempt, says he will continue to chip away at any and all gun safety regulations. If he’s elected, he will almost certainly pick more justices that will help him achieve this dangerous vision. 

Building true safety in our country starts with electing those who will actually protect us and not their own interests. Pledge to become a Supreme Court voter this year and make sure we get Harris and Walz into the White House and elect other progressives to Congress to end the filibuster and pass stronger gun safety laws.

Thanks for all that you do. 

Sami Diaz
Senior Copywriter, Stand Up America