Dear MoveOn member,
Last week's murders of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, Philando Castile outside the Twin Cities, and five police officers in Dallas were at the same time heartbreaking and horrific. The murders of Black men and women by police is an epidemic in America that we have failed to address as a country—and in the days and months ahead, we'll continue to support MoveOn members, partner organizations, and communities demanding solutions to this crisis.
The events in Dallas were only the latest in a string of tragedies demanding we take action to curb gun violence. Tomorrow—on the one-month anniversary of the massacre at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando—we're joining with other organizations to deliver more than one million signatures to Congress, demanding that our elected officials ban military-style assault weapons. Will you add your name in time for tomorrow's event? Click here to sign the petition, which says:
Dallas. Orlando. Sandy Hook. San Bernardino. Aurora.
What do these horrific shootings have in common? Assault weapons.
Assault weapons were used to murder five people in Dallas, 49 people in Orlando, 26 people in Sandy Hook, 12 people in Aurora, and 14 people in San Bernardino.1,2,3
Right now, these military-grade weapons are available for purchase online, at trade shows, and through gun brokers across our nation. They have become the weapon of choice for mass shooters.
Assault weapons have no place in our cities and towns. They have no place on our streets.
Even in the aftermath of so much horror, it's going to take massive grassroots pressure to break the NRA's stranglehold on Congress.
Thanks for all you do.
—Jo, Emily, Justin K., Ben O., and the rest of the team
P.S. Last week focused the world's attention not only on what happens when people are armed with weapons of war, but also on the senseless and brutal murders of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile—and of at least 140 Black men and women this year alone—at the hands of the police.4 You'll hear more from us in the days ahead about ways to confront our nation's legacy of structural racism and the right-wing politics of division and hate. Here are ways you can take action right now:
- Add your name to the petition from ColorOfChange calling for justice for Alton Sterling, which 135,000 MoveOn members have signed so far. Click here now to sign the petition.
- Join a call with Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) happening tomorrow night to hear from leaders of SURJ, ColorOfChange, and local organizers from Baton Rouge, the Twin Cities, and around the country about how white people can stand with Black communities to end police violence. RSVP now, or pass the link along to a friend.
- If you're feeling overwhelmed by last week's events, here's an article we found particularly thoughtful by author and advocate Michelle Alexander.
Sources:
1. "Five Dallas police officers were killed by a lone attacker, authorities say," The Washington Post, July 8, 2016
https://act.moveon.org/go/4618?t=8&akid=166618.10220574.yvYRco
2. "Orlando Gunman Used Assault Rifle With Military Roots, Police Say," The New York Times, June 12, 2016
http://act.moveon.org/go/4619?t=10&akid=166618.10220574.yvYRco
3. "Assault weapon is common denominator in mass shootings," CBS News, December 4, 2015
http://act.moveon.org/go/4226?t=12&akid=166618.10220574.yvYRco
4. "The Counted: People killed by police in the US," The Guardian, accessed July 11, 2016
http://act.moveon.org/go/4615?t=14&akid=166618.10220574.yvYRco
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