From Moms Rising (https://www.momsrising.org/):
After the U.S. House passed universal background checks recently, [1] it is now the U.S. Senate’s turn to vote on it. But Senate Majority Leader McConnell won’t call that vote unless he is forced to.
Go to https://action.momsrising.org/sign/CoSponsor_background_checks_2019 to tell our U.S. Senators to co-sponsor the Senate universal background checks bill (S. 42). The more co-sponsors on the bill, the more pressure on Mitch McConnell to call a floor vote.
Congressional floor votes are important. Not only are they necessary for creating new laws, they create a record of accountability that lets us know if elected leaders are doing their jobs. With public support for universal background checks as high as 97% in recent polls, [2] every member of Congress should be supporting this commonsense measure to reduce gun violence.
So what’s Congress waiting for? The U.S. House has passed universal background checks, so now it’s up to the U.S. Senate to pass it too. But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell won’t call that vote.
Gun violence is getting worse. Guns now take the lives of up to 40,000 people every year, a record high. [3] They are now the second leading cause of death (after car crashes) for children aged 19 and younger, [4] and school shootings are becoming more common and more deadly. [5]
Moms, dads, and other family members are sick with worry for the safety of our loved ones and our communities. We can’t wait – we need comprehensive action NOW to fight the gun violence epidemic, starting with background checks on all gun sales to keep firearms out of the hands of people with a history of violence against others or themselves.
We need to ramp up the pressure on Mitch McConnell to hold a Senate floor vote on universal background checks.
For years, MomsRising members have been calling for tightening up background checks on people trying to buy firearms. Tens of thousands of us have signed petitions, attended rallies, emailed and visited our lawmakers, and much more. The House took an essential step last week and passed universal background checks. Now the U.S. Senate must do the same.
Please forward this email to your friends and family and ask them to to sign on, too.
There’s nothing more important than the safety of our loved ones and our communities.
[1] “House passes bill to require background checks on most gun purchases,” ABCNews.go.com, Feb. 17, 2019. [2] “Poll: 97 percent support background checks for all gun buyers,” The Hill, Feb. 20, 2018. [3] “Nearly 40,000 People Died From Guns in U.S. Last Year, Highest in 50 Years,” The New York Times, Dec. 12, 2018. [4] “Study: Kids More Likely To Die From Cars And Guns In U.S. Than Elsewhere,” NPR.org,
Dec. 19, 2018. [5] “Multiple-Victim School Shootings Are Rare. But They Are Becoming More Common And More Deadly,” WAMU, Feb. 21, 2019.
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