Friend, on February 14, 2018, I was teaching my students about how special-interest groups, including the NRA, wield their power over our government – when the fire alarm went off. 

Moments later, my annual lesson about failing to pass gun control came to life: As I shepherded my students to the nearest exit, another teacher heard gunshots. That day at our school, 17 students and educators were murdered by a shooter carrying an assault weapon.

Now, I'm working with Ban Assault Weapons NOW to make sure no child anywhere in this country ever has to be shot while at school again. We need to raise $20,000 to reach our mid-month goal – but we're still falling short, and we're counting on you to donate before midnight tomorrow. Will you donate $5 now to prevent the next mass shooting?

The first day back at school after the shooting, I told my students, "Here’s the plan: Don’t worry about your grades, don’t worry about the AP test. We’ll worry about that later." I had one kid in class whose brother died; I had another class where one of the students died. "Unimaginable" is the word we kept using.

I tell my students that in order to make a difference in the country, you need to participate. After a tragedy like the Parkland shooting, the news cameras roll away and we often lose attention, letting special-interest groups like the NRA continue to run the country unchecked.

I’m a card-carrying Republican, but that doesn’t mean I’m not furious about the NRA's grip on our politicians. Florida politicians will never be the ones to bring the change we so desperately need, so long as they continue to receive campaign checks from the gun lobby – so it's up to us.

If our grassroots movement runs out of steam and fails to demand change from politicians, there will be another tragedy at another school. So please, friend: Help BAWN hit our $20,000 goal by midnight tomorrow to save lives from gun violence.

We can't fight the superrich NRA if we don't hit our monthly goals every step of the way. Will you donate $5 to help us reach our $20,000 mid-month goal by tomorrow at midnight? Every contribution will fuel our lifesaving grassroots movement.

I hope that decades from now, another teacher doesn't have to give the same lesson I did on February 14, 2018, about the NRA blocking gun reform. With your help, the lecture won't be the same as mine was – it'll be about how our movement finally overcame the NRA's influence to save lives. 

Thank you, 

Jeff Foster
AP Government Teacher at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School
Committee Member of Ban Assault Weapons NOW