Yesterday, we witnessed America’s worst mass shooting on the campus of Virginia Tech. Thirty-three students and faculty were killed, including the gunman. At least fifteen more were wounded.
How many deaths and injuries must we endure before our nation’s elected officials act to end gun violence? We must ask our leaders: “What are you going to do about it?” What are you going to do to make our schools, workplaces, and communities safe from gun violence?
President George W. Bush said yesterday that schools should be a place of “safety and sanctuary for every student,” but he and other national leaders do nothing to ensure that safety. They provide condolences and then do nothing to stop future tragedies.
Eight years ago this week, we watched in horror as students at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado fled a mass shooting. Twelve students and one teacher were killed. Just seven months ago, five girls were gunned down in a school in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
These aren’t isolated incidents. February 12, 2007, Salt Lake City: A teen opens fire in a mall killing five and wounding four. On the same day in Philadelphia: Three men were fatally shot and a fourth wounded at a board meeting. January 11, 2007, Indianapolis: A man shoots four fellow employees. The list goes on and on.
There are common threads in all of these tragedies — it is much too easy for the wrong people to get high-powered, deadly weapons, and our leaders fail to do anything about the problem.
It is urgent that you email or call your elected officials today.
They must hear that you want action to keep guns out of the wrong hands.
Please make as many of these phone calls as you can:
| President George W. Bush | 202-456-1414 |
| House Speaker Nancy Pelosi | 202-225-0100 |
| Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid | 202-224-5556 |
The message for all three calls is simple:
It is much too easy for the wrong people to get deadly weapons in this country. It is time for you to take steps to end gun violence to prevent tragedies like the one at Virginia Tech.
If you can’t make the calls, you can click here to send an email, which will go to the President, the Speaker, the Majority Leader, as well as your U.S. Senators and Representative. One-click will email all six of them.
The Brady Campaign is working nonstop to get the message out that there are solutions to gun violence. We can ban military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition clips that make it so easy to kill quickly . . . we can require Brady background checks for all gun sales, including at gun shows . . . we can stop large-volume gun sales that supply illegal gun traffickers. These are just some of the steps we can take to make it harder for the wrong people to get guns.
We are building a crescendo of public outcry to ensure that action is taken. We are aggressively rallying support among allies for our solutions. And we need your continued support to make it happen. Please make a contribution now to keep the momentum going. When you do, a generous donor will match your gift.
Gun violence is a solvable problem. We know it won’t be easy. But we can make it harder for the wrong people to get their hands on guns through strong gun laws.
It is time for our nation’s leaders to have the courage to say “no” to the gun lobby’s mantra of any gun, anywhere, at any time for anyone, while wrapping it in distortions about “freedom” and “liberty.”
Americans have the right to live free from the constant fear of gun violence. Please take a moment to forward this email to friends and families.…