John,

My name's Timothy Ryan (But you can call me TJ.). I'm a 13-year Army veteran. I served eight deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan — and I came back from those deployments with PTSD, which isn't something I talk about lightly.

This Memorial Day, as a veteran, I'm coming to you with a personal request. I hope you'll give me a moment, because it's important. I'm writing to you about a side of this holiday we don't talk about enough: what it's like for vets like me to see Congress drag its feet and fail to ban assault weapons. And I need to ask: Will you join me in calling on Congress to honor our country's service people by finally banning these weapons of war?

Listen, I know what it means to fire an AR on the battlefield. I've used the weapons of war the NRA and its pocket politicians are so desperate to keep on the streets in combat. This isn't a game to me. It's not dress-up. 

But I was recently walking past my local 7-Eleven and saw a gentleman with a long rifle — a tool of war like the ones I used in the Army. I looked at him, and I thought about my deployments, and I thought about my fallen brothers and sisters — and it just doesn't add up.

I didn't stop thinking about that gentleman all day. I simply can't believe how wrong he has it — how wrong the people who refuse to ban assault weapons have it. War is deadly serious, and the weapons we use in war are deadly by design. We need them off our streets immediately, or we're only going to see more preventable death.

But the NRA and its allies in Congress will try everything in their power to block our progress. We need a wave of grassroots support to overcome their obstruction, so I'm asking you personally: Will you add your name right now to honor our country's heroes by demanding Congress ban assault weapons?

Thank you for taking action. It means more than I could ever say.

Timothy "TJ" Ryan
U.S. Army Airborne Ranger
2005-2017