If we all did a little something, we could instigate BIG change.
I’m writing this two weeks after a white supremacist killed 10 people in a grocery store and less than a week after 19 children and 2 adults were murdered in a school shooting in Texas.
I feel sad, hopeless, and frustrated. I’ve donated to Everytown (and so should you). So what else is left? What is the small step to take?
We contact Congress, relentlessly. We don’t just do it this week, we do it next month too. And the month after that. There are so many people who have provided great resources, so this post will the place I compile them.
The most important Senators to contact
If you live in any of the following places, your calls, emails and letters will go the furthest:
Senator Toomey – Pennsylvania – 202.224.4254
Senator Collins – Maine – 202.224.2523
Senator Blunt – Missouri – 202.224.5721
What to say when you call or email
This is an incredible and easy script to use from Jamie B. Golden if you call:
“Hello, my name is ______. I’m a constituent from ________, zip code _____. I don’t need a response. I am concerned about the lack of a senate vote on The Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021, H.R. 8 and the Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021, H.R. 1446. I strongly encourage Senator _______ to please support a vote and the passage of these two acts. Thank you for your hard work.”
“Good morning. My name is _____ and I live at _____. I have a deep love for my community and neighbors. I urge Senator/Rep _____, as an elected official who represents me, to protect our safety by leading the way toward gun violence prevention. Specifically, I am asking Senator/Rep _____ to advocate for the The Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021 (H.R. 8) and the Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021 (H.R. 1446). I will be casting my next vote based on his or her legislative response to the gun violence epidemic in America. Thank you for your time.”
– Responsibility vs control
– Does the black market have a front door?
– Bad guys with guns
– 1,560 children were killed by gunfire last year
– Back To School Shopping by Kate Baer
– This statistic about mental health in Texas
– This cover of the New York Times
Why would I mail things like that? Honestly, I don’t know. I just think if there is any other medium to get through to people in power, I’m gonna try to use it. The power of words or statistics or humor do different things for different people and why not at least try?
If all your Congresspeople are Democrats …
All of my Congresspeople are Democrats who would absolutely support a bill for more gun control. I’ve contacted them all once, but I won’t again because that is a futile effort and distracts them from the work they are trying to do. Instead, I’m reaching out to my friends who live in places where this matters (specifically, Pennsylvania).
