To end gun violence, we must end the filibuster (call now)

Will you call your senators today and say that it's time to end Republican abuse of the filibuster, the right-wing obstruction, and Mitch McConnell's stranglehold on our country?

Dear MoveOn member,

Forget "thoughts and prayers." Following another deadly massacre, in Colorado—once again conducted with a military-grade AR-15 assault weapon—and on the heels of a mass shooting in Atlanta, GA, fueled by anti-Asian hate, we need more than thoughts and prayers.¹ We need leaders who will act to confront violence.

We need common-sense gun reform laws, and we need action.

What's stopping our country from reinstating the assault weapons ban and passing a range of other broadly popular measures to combat gun violence? A mixture of political will—and the Republican abuse of the filibuster, which means that a majority of senators won't be able to take up measures that the vast majority of the American people agree with.²

Can you call your senators today and say that it's time to end Republican abuse of the filibuster, the right-wing obstruction, and Mitch McConnell's stranglehold on our country? Tell your senators, Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten E. Gillibrand, to end the filibuster, so we can get things done.

Here's where to call: 

• Sen. Schumer - (202) 224-6542
• Sen. Gillibrand - (202) 224-4451

Then click here to tell us how your call went, so we can report how many calls were made today.

The public is on our side. Nearly 70% of Americans believe that our country needs an assault weapons ban.³ In the last session of Congress, Democrats in the House passed gun control measures to expand background checks on gun purchases. The only thing that stopped it: McConnell wouldn't let it come to a vote.

And now, with Democrats in the majority in the Senate and in power in the White House, it's a chance to finally pass these reforms. Except one thing will still stop them: Mitch McConnell won't let them come to a vote.

Why is this? Because the filibuster—a Jim Crow-era relic invented by pro-slavery senators before the Civil War, that has a history of being used to stop civil rights laws, prevent the passage of over 200 anti-lynching bills, and enshrine segregation—is now being abused by Republicans to entrench their minority power.⁴

They are using it to stop the Senate from taking action on voting rights. On LGBTQ+ rights. On worker rights. On police reforms. On immigration reform.

And now, they are using it to stop action on gun violence.

Enough is enough. Democrats were elected to govern. The public wants action on protecting our democracy, our rights, and our immigrant communities. Democrats must lead to change the filibuster rules and Republicans must get out of the way. Your senator needs to hear why acting urgently to end the filibuster is important to you.

And the public wants common-sense gun reform. Now. Call your senators and say, "End the filibuster, and pass common-sense gun laws."

Here's where to call:

• Sen. Schumer - (202) 224-6542
• Sen. Gillibrand - (202) 224-4451

Then click here to tell us how your call went, so we can report how many calls were made today.

MoveOn members have a long history of working on gun violence issues. MoveOn members shared a stage with President Barack Obama when he closed gun sales loopholes by executive order. We marched with March for Our Lives and invested in Black-led organizations tackling gun violence. We worked in coalitions that changed Walmart's gun policies, followed the leadership of Representative John Lewis when he held a sit-in after the Pulse nightclub massacre, and added pressure to put the NRA on its heels.

But now is a real opportunity to pass the federal legislation we know is critical. To do that we need to get the filibuster out of the way.

We'll still have more work to do to tackle the culture of violence, which is a constant in our country, from the Capitol insurrection, to the anti-Asian mass shooting in Atlanta, to the massacre in Colorado. We need to address its root causes and white supremacy, and we need to invest in confronting gun violence as a public health epidemic.

But we can start with wildly popular measures, which are ready to go.

To get there, we need to end the filibuster. And we can. Now.

Thanks for all you do.

–Justin, Jenn, Sana, Erica, and the rest of the team

Sources:

1. "Signs of a partisan divide on guns re-emerged hours after the shooting." The New York Times, March 23, 2021
https://act.moveon.org/go/150471?t=9&akid=293098%2E10220574%2E-lmgzt

 

2. Ibid.

 

3. "Poll: Most Republicans support assault weapons ban, despite Trump saying 'no appetite,'" Politico, August 7, 2019
https://act.moveon.org/go/150472?t=11&akid=293098%2E10220574%2E-lmgzt

 

4. "The Senate Filibuster Is Another Monument to White Supremacy," The Atlantic, June 27, 2020
https://act.moveon.org/go/150473?t=13&akid=293098%2E10220574%2E-lmgzt

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