John, I talk a lot about the lack of compassion in Washington – and nowhere is that more evident than in the gun violence epidemic gripping our nation – and only our nation. 

I fear for my children and grandchildren that it will only get worse. Just recently, the Supreme Court struck down a law that places restrictions on carrying a concealed gun outside the home.  

I watch these continued stories of gun violence with both horror and shock, but sadly also with a disturbing sense of familiarity. We've seen so much of the exact same violence, repeated time and time again, in communities all across the country. Our neighbors and our children are crying out for action, but extremists bought and paid for by the gun lobby refuse to lift a finger to stop it.

Kids need to feel safe in their schools, and parents need to feel safe sending their children to school. When people go to parades, to the grocery store, to the movies, or to their places of worship, they shouldn’t have to worry about being gunned down. We can pass laws to make all of us safer, but right now, politicians are following a heartless calculus that puts greed, partisanship, and ambition before the people they swore to serve. It's wrong, and it must end.

The new gun safety reforms are a good start. They will save countless lives, and it’s only possible because grassroots people like you sent President Biden to the White House and Democrats to the Senate. But we cannot stop there. We must continue to keep the pressure on the gun lobby and organize for the additional commonsense reforms that American families support. This is the only way that we’ll be able to make our communities safe and keep military-style weapons off of our streets.

So I have a message for the gun lobby: These reforms are just the start.

The Senate's gun deal is a good start, but we cannot stop there. We must work against the gun lobby to ensure that this bill makes it to the president's desk. And then, we must keep on pushing for additional reforms to make our communities safe and to keep military-style weapons off of our streets.

I promise that as senator, I'll work my heart out to win reforms that make our communities and our children safer. We can solve gun violence – but only if we stand together. So please, if you agree that Washington needs more leaders who will take real action to end gun violence, can you make a donation of $5 or more tonight to help my grassroots campaign? I'm really counting on your support to win on Election Day.

Thank you for working toward a better future.

– Trudy