Friend,

By now everyone has heard the horrific news from Uvalde, Texas. There aren’t really words to describe the grief of the families of the young children and teachers who were murdered in cold blood in their own classroom. Thoughts and prayers will not bring their kids back or prevent other families from going through the same tragedy.

It is unconscionable that – after years of regular mass carnage – Congress has done nothing to prevent the next ghastly massacre from happening.

This does not happen in other countries. We know what would save lives: Banning assault weapons. Raising the age limit for firearm purchases. Requiring universal background checks. These are straightforward solutions, widely supported even by gun owners, yet the grotesquely powerful gun lobby blocks even reasonable and popular gun safety measures.

Make no mistake: The NRA is the chief impediment to progress. They trot out a sickening playbook each time the American public mourns the latest mass shooting. They tell us not to “politicize” the shooting while emotions are hot; wait for the rage to die down, and go back to work quietly peddling political influence and flooding American communities with lethal weapons.

Dark money – some of which has the stench of Russian influence – feeds the NRA's project, which feeds Republican candidates, who get into office and vote in lockstep with the gun industry. We have got to go after the dark money that allows this and so much other evil to pollute our politics. 

We also have to keep working hard to expand our Senate majority. With a few more Democratic senators, we'd not be captive to Mitch McConnell's obstruction, and we could take measures to protect the lives of more innocent children.

Sincerely,

Sheldon