March For Our Lives on March 24 was terrific - hundreds of thousands of marchers turned out all over the country (and in other countries, too!). Now that it's over, what happens next? We shouldn't lose our momentum and the conviction of our beliefs - let's keep the ball rolling! We have lawmakers' attention - the next step is to strongly urge them to listen to their constituents and enact meaningful gun reform at both the state and local levels. The #MarchForOurLives movement is pushing for representatives to hold an in-person #TownHallForOurLives in the next weeks to show their constituents that they are ready and willing to listen.
If you are able to attend a Town Hall, absolutely do so! Our local members in Northeast North Carolina, however, don't have any representatives holding town halls in the next few weeks. What can we do? Bring the town hall to them, and inundate their offices with calls, emails, faxes, and letters! All congressional representatives will be back in their offices for District Work Period (or "recess") until April 9th, so let's get writing!
If you have never contacted your representatives before, there's no better time to start. The very easiest way to do so is to send a text saying "RESIST" to Resistbot at 50409. Resistbot will guide you through the next steps and locate your representatives for you, and then will send your message directly to them via fax. Once you know who your representatives are, a quick Google search can give you their phone numbers and addresses, and you can call or send a letter or postcard. Congress.org can also help you find your congressional representatives.
What to write? Firstly, make sure to identify yourself as a constituent. Include your address or zip code if you are comfortable doing so. Let your representative know if you voted for them. Then address your concern - in this case, we are asking for meaningful legislation to reduce gun violence. Keep this part of your letter to only about three points if you can. Finally, reiterate that you are a constituent and that you are appreciative of the work they do (if you are) or that you are hopeful they will make the right decision to represent their constituents' wishes.
If you need an idea or a template to write your letter, we have written one for you to use! Just fill in your name, your representative's name, etc, and adjust it as you like. We copied the petition from the March For Our Lives website, in order to keep our demands consistent with the movement.
"Dear ________,
I am your constituent in _________ (County/District __/State). I am also a ______ (parent/educator/victim/grandparent/city official). I would like to urge you to listen to the voices of your constituents on the matter of gun control and push to enact more effective legislation in order to prevent further gun violence. The students and gun violence survivors from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida have created a movement for common sense gun legislation that will not be stopped, and I know that you care about your constituents and wish to work in our best interests. I agree with the students’ priorities and suggestions for reducing gun violence, as follows (petition from MarchForOurLives.com):
“We support the right of law-abiding Americans to keep and bear arms, as set forth in the United States Constitution. But with that right comes responsibility. We call on all the adults in Congress elected to represent us, to pass legislation that will protect and save children from gun violence. Our elected officials MUST ACT by: 1. Passing a law to ban the sale of assault weapons like the ones used in Las Vegas, Orlando, Sutherland Springs, Aurora, Sandy Hook and, most recently, to kill 17 innocent people and injure more than a dozen others at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Of the 10 deadliest shootings over the last decade, seven involved the use of assault weapons. No civilian should be able to access these weapons of war, which should be restricted for use by our military and law enforcement only. These guns have no other purpose than to fire as many bullets as possible and indiscriminately kill anything they are pointed at with terrifying speed. 2. Prohibiting the sale of high-capacity magazines such as the ones the shooter at our school—and so many other recent mass shootings used. States that ban high-capacity magazines have half as many shootings involving three or more victims as states that allow them. Limiting the number of bullets a gun can discharge at one time will at least force any shooter to stop and reload, giving children a chance to escape. 3. Closing the loophole in our background check law that allows dangerous people who shouldn’t be allowed to purchase firearms to slip through the cracks and buy guns online or at gun shows. 97 percent of Americans support closing the current loopholes in our background check system. When Connecticut passed a law requiring background checks on all handgun sales, they saw a 40 percent reduction in gun homicides. 22 percent of gun sales in this country take place without a background check. That’s millions of guns that could be falling into dangerous hands. A background check should be required on every gun sale, no exceptions. The children of this country can no longer go to school in fear that each day could be their last.”
Please consider these demands of gun violence victims and your own constituents. History has its eye on you - and we are counting on you to help ensure the safety of our children and their children. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
_________ (name and address) "
A link to this letter in document form can be found here.
This template can be used to print and send a letter, email, or to paste into a text to Resistbot to send as a fax. You can also use the template as a script to help you remember what to say on the phone to your congressional representative!
Let's keep the momentum moving and the energy high. Even one further victim of gun violence is one too many - we need to urge our representatives to act now!