**This action has been updated to reflect the calls for action after the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, on 14 February, 2018.

As we continue to closely watch the headlines of the aftermath in Las Vegas, it may come as no surprise that this week’s (not so tiny) Tiny Action focuses on gun control.

This is a complex issue with multiple ways to change policy. We’ve listed a few key actions below.

Call your Senators and tell them to:

• Support Sen Feinstein’s Automatic Gunfire Prevention Act to ban bump stocks (details), which saw sales increase after the Las Vegas massacre.
  Update: Congress deferred to the Justice Department in December 2017, though both Sen Feinstein and members of the department have said the JD is powerless on this issue. "It’s hard to believe this is anything other than another way for Republicans to stall congressional action.”
  
  
• Reinstate the Federal Assault Weapons Ban without a sunset date. Feinstein also led the charge to reinstate the ban, unsuccessfully, in 2013. The ban originally expired in 2004 (more here).
  Update: No formal action has been taken on this issue in Congress as of 02/15/18.
  
  
• Vote NO on S 446, what they call "concealed carry reciprocity" (details).
  Update: On 12/7/17, the concealed carry reciprocity bill passed in the House and now moves to the Senate. 39 Senators have co-sponsored the bill, despite the fact that 83% of Republican voters support increased safety standards on this issue. 
  
  
• Ensure that the CDC budget allocates funds specifically for research on gun-related deaths and gun violence prevention (here’s why that matters).
  Update: Without Congressional intervention, there are no indications that this will be remedied, particularly after Trump's budget proposal released 02/12/18 includes a 12% budget cut to the CDC. 
  
  
• Consider pointing out the differences you’ve experienced and seen as an American overseas.
  
  

Call your Member of Congress and tell them to:

• Vote NO on the SHARE act, which would make it silencers more accessible and lead to more deaths in mass shootings, legalize armor piercing bullets and force states to recognize concealed carry permits from other states (more from the Democrats Abroad team in Germany, here). This vote was already postponed because of the shooting of Rep Scalise at practice for the Congressional Baseball Game but we expect it is resurfacing soon.
  Update: Although the bill already passed through committee, it was shelved once again due to the Las Vegas shooting. We must remain active on speaking out against this bill to ensure it never comes to a vote. 
  
  
• Close the loophole that allows private gun sales (including at gun shows) without background checks.
  Update: While Rep Maloney introduced the Gun Show Loophole Closing Act in March 2017, it has still not yet moved past subcommittee. 
  
  
• Institute universal background checks for ammo and gun buyers, a measure 80% of gun owners support.
  Update: The support of universal background checks has risen to 95%. Congress has yet to take action. 
  
  
• Remove the Dickey rider from the federal budget and finally allow the CDC to research gun violence prevention.
  Update: See note under Senate actions
  
  
• Consider pointing out the differences you’ve experienced and seen as an American overseas.
  
  

Tell your Governor to:

• Ban 30 round mags and enact magazine restrictions, because states with magazine restrictions are associated with fewer mass shooting events (explanation of correlation here).
  
  
• Consider pointing out the differences you’ve experienced and seen as an American overseas.
  
  

Fighting the naysayers? Here are 17 charts and graphs that may help.