Long ago “going visiting” required special attire — your Sunday dress, hat and maybe even gloves. Also a requirement — interesting stories to share with updates on family and friends.
Luckily hats and gloves are no longer required but when you visit your congressional representative this month while they are home for August recess be sure to have your personal story ready to share about how their votes impact you, your family, and your community.
There’s a lot to say to your Congressional Representative about gun violence prevention. Here are just two pieces of legislation currently being considered by our Congress where passage will have serious detrimental impact on our safety.
National Reciprocity, a law that would weaken and violate California’s strong gun laws:
This law would allow purchasers from states with few restrictions and requirements such as training to bring their guns into our state.
The Hearing Protection Act, a law that would relax restrictions on the purchase of silencers: This law endangers our law enforcement and our communities by masking the sound of gun shots. Are you running to or away from the shooter?
Here are Ways to Connect with Your Representative so your Voice can be heard!
Here are two great websites — besides our own, of course — that you should visit!
Town Hall Project
To find out when and where your representative is holding a townhall — where you can show up and speak out to your legislator.
5calls.org
To find your representatives, their phone numbers, multiple issues and scripts you can use. You can also sign up with 5calls and they will send you weekly notices with issues that may interest you and calls to action that are time-sensitive.
If you want to make an appointment with your legislator or just leave your opinion over the phone, here’s a great way to save your legislators’ phone numbers to your cell phone!
Text your US postal zip code to (520) 200-2223 and get a text back with both your state and federal legislative representative phone numbers. This is a huge time saver!
Some Facts You Should Know!
- A woman is shot by her partner every 16 hours.
- America has more guns than cars. And more gun stores than coffee shops.
- Magazine capacity may be the best indicator of a gun’s lethality. That is why it is important to limit high capacity magazines.
- For every person shot and killed, two more are wounded by guns and survive. That is why the Affordable Care Act is critical to the gun violence prevention community and to survivors of gun violence.
Be sure to share all these facts and tools and this email with your family and friends!