John, we're going to share with you this historic letter sent to Congress almost 30 years ago - but first, will you help No Dem Left Behind build a safer America by chipping in a small donation right now?

President Biden made an important point worth reiterating at this year's State of the Union Address:

Federal efforts to end assault weapon violence used to be a bipartisan issue.

It's a sign of how radicalized the Republican party has become. It wasn’t long ago that Republicans and Democrats could agree that weapons of war have no place on our streets and that our children were worth protecting.

In a show of bipartisan unity, former Presidents Reagan, Carter, and Ford wrote a letter to Congress in support of an assault weapons ban. Here is that letter in its entirety:

May 3, 1994

To Members of the U.S. House of Representatives:

We are writing to urge your support for a ban on the domestic manufacture of military-style assault weapons. This is a matter of vital importance to the public safety. Although assualt weapons account for less than 1% of the guns in circulation, they account for nearly 10% of the guns traced to crime.

Every major law enforcement organization in America and dozens of leading labor, medical, religious, civil rights and civic groups support such a ban. Most importantly, poll after poll shows that the American public overwhelmingly support a ban on assault weapons. A 1993 CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll found that 77% of Americans support a ban on the manufacture, sale, and possession of semi-automatic assault guns, such as the AK-47.

The 1989 import ban resulted in an impressive 40% drop in imported assault weapons traced to crime between 1989 and 1991, but the killing continues. Last year, a killer armed with two TEC9s killed eight people at a San Francisco law firm and wounded several others. During the past five years, more than 40 law enforcement officers have been killed or wounded in the line of duty by an assault weapon.

While we recognize that assault weapon legislation will not stop all assault weapon crime, statistics prove that we can dry up the supply of these guns, making them less accessible to criminals. We urge you to listen to the American public and to the law enforcement community and support a ban on the further manufacture of these weapons.

Sincerely,
Gerald R. Ford
Jimmy Carter
Ronald Reagan

As history would have it, this bipartisan effort would lead to the passage of a law that would end just 10 years later due to a sunset provision and tireless lobbying efforts by organizations like the NRA.

Imagine the number of tragedies that could have been avoided over the last 20 years if that law hadn’t been allowed to expire. We are now sadly familiar with the type of tragedies that the legislation would have stopped. What could have been prevented has now become routine.

There is a long and painful road still ahead of us, but we can get to a better future by taking the same route that the gun proponents took: by placing tireless pressure on our officials.

We need to do the opposite of spineless cowards like Kevin McCarthy and stand up to defend our children from senseless violence. We need to support the candidates and organizations that have the courage to once again stand up for what is right.

No Dem Left Behind recognizes that regulating assault weapons is not only right, but it is a winning strategy all across America because a majority of Americans still support sensible firearm regulations.

Help us work towards a better tomorrow by supporting the representatives willing to defend ALL Americans. Become a sustaining supporter today!