John,

During this difficult and terrifying week, I wanted to highlight a piece of genuinely good news that's going to help a lot of people. This morning, President Biden signed into law the first piece of federal gun safety legislation in a generation.

I want to be clear: getting this bill passed required making compromises and leaving out many provisions that we must continue fighting for. But the bill is going to save lives — especially through actions such as closing the "boyfriend loophole" (which has allowed domestic abusers to get their hands on guns for far too long).

Passage of this bill was made possible through years of work by activists and community leaders who refused to let the gun lobby set the terms of debate and built a movement that's become too powerful to ignore. I will continue to stand with this movement, because I've been part of this movement.

I started my gun safety advocacy as a Moms Demand Action volunteer, and the networks I built years ago have been essential to how I operate in Congress. The stories I've carried with me from my fellow Moms have made me a more effective legislator.

As the spokesperson for Moms Demand Action in Illinois, I helped lead and coordinate the statewide strategy that ultimately resulted in then-Governor Bruce Rauner signing significant gun reform legislation into law. And in Congress, I've pushed for more funding for gun violence prevention.

We need fighters in Congress with a track record of getting things done. I'll keep working on the ground with activists, survivors, and families to reduce the epidemic of gun violence. It's never been more clear that our voices have made an impact.

If you can, please donate to help send me back to Congress and continue the fight against gun violence. Our primary is in three days, and we need to reach every undecided voter with our message.

Thank you,

Marie