Hi there,

We’ll be honest: this is going to be a long email. We have a lot to say about some really important topics inspired by Tuesday’s debate and the continuous conversations around mandatory buy-backs. But if you don’t have time right now, here’s your quick, 30-second recap from the debate:

• Beto gave us and our Peace Plan a shoutout!
• Lots of talk on mandatory buy-backs….which we support, btw.
• There was a lot of focus on solo policy ideas -- but if we’re going to end gun violence now, we need a bold, comprehensive plan that will address all types of gun violence.
• Have you read our Peace Plan yet?

Now, for those who are ready to dive in, let’s start with some background. During the September 12th debate, Congressman Beto O’Rourke expressed his support of mandatory buy-backs. Other candidates started to comment on the issue -- and it became a major topic during Tuesday’s debate. 

To be clear, we fully support a mandatory buy-back program. There are an estimated 256-393 million civilian-owned firearms in the United States, which means there are more guns than people in this country. As we lay out in our Peace Plan, a federal mandatory buy-back of assault weapons and an optional, but encouraged, buy-back program for other firearms would save lives. Australia’s national buy-back program was associated with as much as a 57% reduction in firearms deaths.

Show your support for a national buy-backs program by signing onto our Peace Plan

That being said, boiling down the gun violence epidemic to a debate on one policy point misses the big picture. Although these solo plans would definitely help, we need a comprehensive plan. We need candidates around the country, from city hall to Capitol Hill, to introduce audacious, bold, and comprehensive plans as big as the problem they’re trying to solve (or endorse ours). We need candidates who are unafraid to take on the NRA in their words *AND* their actions. We need candidates to step up and tell us their specific policies and plans to cut gun deaths by 50% in ten years, like our Peace Plan does. Or tell us how their proposed legislation and programs will end the epidemic altogether. 

Share the Peace Plan with your favorite candidates and ask them about their plan to end gun violence

The time for flowery metaphors and vague promises is over. The time to end gun violence is now. 

Let’s do this,
March For Our Lives