Democrats Abroad has long been in support of gun safety reform. We have called for legislative reform in the past, have addressed this issue in our platform, but Congress has offered little more than thoughts and prayers. This is not enough.
The resilience of the students in Florida have inspired the Marching for Our Lives movement that is rapidly spreading across the country. We stand with them today (our statement here), and we will stand with them to help take the March 24 national day of action, and the March 14 national school walk out day, into a global call for change.
This week's Tiny Action: Demand that Senate pass common sense gun legislation and start making your plans for March 24.
1. Help your local Dems Abroad organize a “Marching for our Lives" event on or around March 24.
We’ll be organizing an online action to support the events in the US (stay tuned!), but there are also many people who would like to join an event in person. This requires organizing. If you live in an area where this might be possible, and if you’d be able to help organize, reach out to your local Dems Abroad team to let them know.
Not sure who to contact? Visit DemocratsAbroad.org and find your Country Committee under “Countries.”
2. Call on your Senators to take immediate, urgent action.
“Hi, my name is [NAME] and I’m a constituent from [VOTING STATE/ZIP]. I’m calling today to ask Senator [NAME] to take action to reduce the epidemic of gun violence in the United States. This is not a states rights or second amendment issue. This is a safety issue that has plagued our nation for far too long and must be addressed urgently.
Specifically, I ask that the Senator move to:
- Close the loophole that lets people buy guns at shows and through private sellers without background checks
- Institute universal background checks for ammo and gun buyers
- Vote in favor of S.2095, the Assault Weapons Ban of 2017
- Remove the Dickey Rider from the federal budget and finally allow the CDC to research gun violence prevention
I’m also incredibly disturbed that H.R. 38, the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act passed the House, and it’s essential that the Senate stop it from becoming law. I’d like to see the Senator commit immediately to opposing this legislation. It’s as important as ever not to weaken gun safety standards, and prevent firearms from falling into dangerous hands. This is why every major law enforcement agency has opposed this bill.
As an American voter living abroad, I know that it doesn’t have to be this way. The US must be a positive example to the world, not the opposite. We cannot afford to wait any longer to protect innocent lives from gun massacres. Thank you.”
**You can also find out how your Representative voted on the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act and call them to voice your support/disapproval.
MORE INFO
Students are rising up against gun violence in the aftermath of the Florida shooting
Students demand change in gun laws after latest school shooting in the US
Watch the Feb 21 student march on the Florida State Capital
Schumer hits Trump on 'all talk' approach on guns
Sen. Dianne Feinstein reintroduces assault weapons ban legislation
Why Our Government Cannot Study Gun Violence: The Dickey Amendment
Poll Finds Near-Universal Support For Gun Background Checks
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As always, our aim is to turn tiny actions into big results, so we hope we can continue to count on your help! Please send suggestions for our next tiny action to info at democratsabroad dot org.