Dear MoveOn member,
With six more mass shootings this past weekend, 2023 is on track to be a
record year for gun deaths in America, thanks in no small part to the NRA
and the Republican politicians who serve them.^1
For decades, MoveOn members have told us that gun violence is one of the
top issues we should confront as a nation. And with gun violence occurring
at a record pace—52 mass shootings in January alone, killing or maiming
nearly 300 people—we hope to do just that.^2
We are planning a national effort to pressure Republican members of
Congress who are utterly out of step with their constituents who want gun
safety. Specifically, we want to put up high-profile billboards in as many
of their districts as we can afford.
Right now, the GOP controls the House by the slimmest of margins and with
18 Republicans who represent districts that President Biden won. These are
districts where constituents want gun safety laws, where these
representatives will feel and respond to pressure, and where they'll be
held accountable if they show more loyalty to the NRA than their own
voters.
The billboards might say ...
"Rep. X, your party received $15 million from the gun lobby. Was it worth
it?"^3
"Zero days since a mass shooting in America. Rep. X: Supporting the NRA
over our families."
So, John, here's the question. Should we launch this effort?
If your answer is yes, that you agree gun violence and the money that
allows it to continue fuel an epidemic we must end, will you chip in
$5 a month to help kick off our campaign and keep the
billboards up for as long as it takes to exert maximum pressure on GOP
House members?
[ [link removed] ]Yes, I'll chip in monthly.
[ [link removed] ]No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
We need to raise $100,000 before we can launch these billboards, so let us
know today if you want us to start.
And lest anyone think our country's inability to act in the face of such
tragedy is caused by anything other than NRA blood money, here's how much
the top five Senate recipients of NRA money have raked in:^4
Mitt Romney: $13,648,000
Richard Burr: $6,987,000
Roy Blunt: $4,556,000
Thom Tillis: $4,421,000
Marco Rubio: $3,303,000
Blood money. Every drop of it massacring school children, people of color,
LGBTQ+ youth, parents, bystanders, and our elderly.
We know what we are up against. We have known it for decades. But we also
know what works. Direct action. Which is why we need your help.
It's why we're asking you to chip in $5 a month to help us
raise $100,000 to kick off our effort and then help sustain it. Will you
chip in?
[ [link removed] ]Yes, I'll chip in monthly.
[ [link removed] ]No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
These billboards will use messaging that research shows will best move
voters to hold the gun lobby and their marionettes in Congress
accountable. Also, the billboards will spotlight the most vulnerable
Republicans in swing districts that give us the best chance of making
clear that siding with the NRA will cost them politically.
We know that the vast majority of Americans want more gun safety laws,
including the reinstatement of the federal assault weapons ban. And we
know that if Republicans in these crucial districts side with the NRA,
voters will hold them accountable—and vote them out next November, helping
usher in a Democratic majority that can build upon last year's historic
gun safety legislation to take commonsense next steps.
But most importantly, we want these billboards to make clear that we will
no longer stand by and allow gun violence to continue unchallenged.
As soon as we raise $100,000 (or it is clear we will), we will start. But
if we don't see that level of support from our members, we won't be able
to move forward. Remember, MoveOn is funded primarily by generous
donations from grassroots supporters like you.
So this campaign starts, or ends, with you and your donation today. Will
you start a $5 monthly donation today to kick off and help
sustain this critical campaign to end gun violence in America?
[ [link removed] ]Yes, I'll chip in monthly.
[ [link removed] ]No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
Thanks for all you do.
–Justin, Kenia, Erik, Allison, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "List of mass shootings in the United States in 2023," Wikipedia,
accessed January 31, 2023
[link removed]
2. Ibid.
3. "Gun Rights vs Gun Control," Open Secrets, accessed January 31, 2023
[link removed]
4. Tweet by Public Citizen, May 25, 2022
[link removed]
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the filibuster, codify abortion rights into law, and defend our freedoms,
our families, and our futures. We can accomplish all this and more, but
only if we work together.
Will you chip in monthly to power our critical work?
[ [link removed] ]Yes, I'll chip in $5 a month.
[ [link removed] ]No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
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