Author: Ladd Everitt

Update: On March 23, 2018, President Donald Trump signed an omnibus spending bill into law that contained the (unaltered) provisions of the Fix NICS Act. Texas Senator John Cornyn, one of the co-sponsors of the bill (along with Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy) tweeted the following in response: “The benefits of Omnibus to…fixing gun background check system are important and will save lives.” Thanks to everyone who took this action!

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In the wake of a series of horrific shootings—including the October 1st tragedy in Las Vegas in which a single gunman inflicted 600 casualties—the House Judiciary Committee will mark up two gun bills on November 29, 2017.

The first is H.R. 4434, the Fix NICS Act, cosponsored by Senators Chris Murphy (D-CT) and John Cornyn (R-TX). This bill would take a number of critical steps to improve the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), which is queried during background checks for gun buyers.

H.R. 4434 would create new incentives for states to get records on prohibited firearm purchasers (domestic abusers, the dangerous mentally ill, substance abusers, etc.) into NICS. It would also direct federal agencies including the military branches to share these records with the FBI.

The second bill is H.R. 38, the dangerous “National Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act,” which is the top federal priority of the National Rifle Association. This legislation would:

• Force states with strong gun laws to honor concealed carry permits from states with weak laws. This would individuals with a history of violence to carry guns in public in all 50 states.
• Allow individuals who are prohibited from getting a concealed carry permit in their home state to visit another state with weaker laws to get the permit.
• Make it nearly impossible for law enforcement to verify concealed carry permits from other states. H.R. 38 would even allow permit holders to sue police officers for checking their background!

Please contact your U.S. Representative through the U.S. Capitol Hotline at (202) 224-3121 and give him/her the following message:

Please do everything in your power to support H.R. 4434, the Fix NICS Act, and ensure that a clean version of the bill is passed by the House of Representatives. The Fix NICS Act is desperately needed to shore up the National Instant Criminal Background Check System so that prohibited, violent individuals cannot legally buy guns in this country. Simultaneously, please do your utmost to defeat H.R. 38, the dangerous “National Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act,” and ensure that it is permanently tabled in the House. It is an absolute affront that this noxious legislation—drafted by NRA lobbyists for the benefit of the gun industry—is even seeing the light of day in the House. It would force states to allow violent individuals to carry loaded, hidden guns on their streets, putting the safety of our families and communities in jeopardy. As your constituent, I will be watching your action on these two bills very closely and basing my voting, organizing and philanthropic decisions in the upcoming election on them.

If you don’t know who your U.S. Representative is, or want a direct-dial number, click here:

https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative

Once you have contacted your U.S. Representative, click the orange banner below to report taking action!

Update: The California-based nonprofit Route91Strong reported delivering more than $220,000 to help more than 150 survivor family members over 20 months. In June 2019, the Las Vegas Victims Fund changed hands to be administered by the Vegas Strong Resiliency Center. The center says survivor applicants now can qualify for up to four payments totaling $2,000 over a two-year span to cover basic needs like groceries, transportation, moving costs, rent and utilities.

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The Las Vegas Victims Fund was established to provide assistance to victims and survivors of the horrific shooting that took place in the city on October 1, 2017.  58 people were killed, and 546 injured, by a single gunman that evening—the worst mass shooting in U.S. history.

A draft protocol for the distribution of the funds has been developed by the Las Vegas Victims Fund committee. They will be accepting public input on this draft protocol until December 8th, and plan to start distributing funds to victims and survivors on March 5, 2018. The funds originate from a GoFundMe Victims’ Fund established by Clark County Commission Chairman Steve Sisolak and Las Vegas Sheriff Joseph Lombardo, the National Compassion Fund, the Direct Impact Fund, and other fundraising efforts.

There are two serious issues that need to be addressed, however:

1) Funds will be distributed to families of the decedents and individuals who were physically injured and admitted to a hospital, but not to other survivors of the shooting.

2) It is unclear whether the entirety of the funds will be distributed directly to victims and survivors. Some of the funds have been channeled through nonprofits and other entities that could take their own cut or provide services that are not helpful to victims and survivors with immediate financial needs. For that reason, all of the funds should be channeled into the National Compassion Fund. The NCF guarantees that 100% of the funds they receive will go directly to the victims and survivors.

Please contact the Las Vegas Victims Fund committee through one of the channels below and give them the following message:

Dear Chairman Scott Nielsen and members of the Las Vegas Victims Fund committee, I write you today to provide two important pieces of feedback regarding your draft protocol. First, please change your eligibility criteria to include ALL survivors of the shooting, including those who were not physically injured and hospitalized. The emotional trauma and PTSD these survivors are dealing with right now is staggering. Many are still unable to go to work and in serious financial duress. They need your assistance every bit as much as the survivors of the deceased and those recovering from physical wounds. Second, please ensure that all the funding managed by the committee is channeled into the National Compassion Fund.  The NCF guarantees that 100% of the funds they receive will go directly to the victims and survivors. No one understands their immediate needs better than the survivors and their families. Thank you for serving on the committee and doing your part to help after this unspeakable tragedy.

Las Vegas Victims Fund committee
Phone: (702) 526-1822
Email: comments@lasvegasvictimsfund.org 

Once you have contacted the committee, click the orange banner below to report taking action!

Update: On November 30, 2017, the second-degree manslaughter charges filed by Chautaqua County District Attorney Patrick Swanson against Thomas Jadlowski were thrown out due to a technicality. On March 19, 2018, Swanson re-indicted Jadlowski, filing a new two-count indictment for second-degree manslaughter and hunting after hours. Jadlowski pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 1-3 years in prison on January 14, 2019. Thanks to everyone who took this action and helped Jamie Billquist secure justice for Rosemary!

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The day before Thanksgiving, 43 year-old Rosemary Billquist got home from work and took her dogs for a walk in the field behind her house in Sherman, New York. She was excited about running in the YMCA Buffalo Niagara Turkey Trot the following day with her husband of 27 years, a tradition for the couple.

The sun had set when her neighbor, Thomas B. Jadlowski, fired a round at Rosemary from 200 yards away with a handgun, killing her. He told police he thought she was a deer. It is illegal to hunt in Chautaqua County after dark.

Rosemary’s husband Jamie asked the following question: “He thought it was a deer, which is hard for me to believe. If you don’t know what it is, why shoot?”

Despite the fact that Jadlowski’s actions were both illegal and grossly negligent, Chautqua County authorities have yet to bring charges against him. It’s time to change that.

Please contact Chautaqua County District Attorney Patrick Swanson and Sheriff Joe Grace through one of the channels below and give them the following message:

I am outraged that you have not already brought charges against Thomas Jadlowski for killing Rosemary Billquist. Jadlowski’s actions were both illegal (hunting after dark) and grossly negligent and there should be no doubt about his criminal culpability in this matter. Stop treating gun owners like super-citizens who bear no responsibility for their own actions. Charge Thomas Jadlowski with negligent manslaughter and do justice in this case. He stole from us a special woman who made this world a better place. Her life is over and her husband’s is destroyed. Jadlowski deserves neither mercy nor special consideration.

District Attorney Patrick Swanson
Phone: (716) 753-4241
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/patrickswanson2016/posts/1487098408075845

Sheriff Joe Grace
Phone: (716) 753-4232
Email via webform: http://www.sheriff.us/contact-us
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chautcosheriff/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChautCoSheriff

Once you have contacted DA Swanson and Sheriff Grace, click the orange banner below to report taking action!

American gun violence prevention advocates know how important it is to advocate for tougher laws. The United States has the weakest gun laws of any democracy, and these laws cause hundreds of unnecessary deaths and injuries on a daily basis.

But it will be difficult if not impossible to change our gun laws without confronting the degenerate culture that under-girds them.  By disseminating propaganda that plays on Americans’ fears, the gun lobby has brainwashed millions into believing that guns are sacred objects. These Americans consider firearms to be inviolate and will defend them whatever the cost, even if it means sacrificing an infinite number of human lives (the “price of liberty” argument). Sadly, even good people sometimes fall prey to this propaganda.

Social norming America’s degenerate gun culture out of existence is possible, however. Consider, for example, just how dramatically Americans’ views on smoking have changed in just a generation.

As you gather with family and friends this Thanksgiving, consider broaching the topic of gun control at the dinner table. Be polite and respectful to those around you, but do NOT apologize for wanting stricter gun laws. Don’t come off as defensive or hesitant. Be confident, strong, resolute. Acknowledge that pro-gun advocates have a right to their view, but make it clear that you will never stop engaging in grassroots advocacy until this country has strict gun laws on par with other free countries—this issue is that important to you.

If anyone tries to derail you by spouting supposed “statistics,” ask them to provide a primary source for each of their claims (other than discredited researcher John Lott). If they call you “radical,” tell them that the fetishization of weapons designed to take human life is what is radical and causing all this violence. Then challenge them. What are they doing to prevent the next mass shooting tragedy (or any shooting) from happening? If they don’t have an answer, ask them: So you’re telling me we’re just supposed to accept daily horrors like the Las Vegas shooting happening in our communities on a permanent basis? If they say yes, tell them that is unacceptable and you won’t stand for it.

After you have a conversation about gun control at the Thanksgiving dinner table with family and/or friends, click the orange banner below to report taking action!

Following the worst (single shooter) mass shooting in U.S. history  in Las Vegas, outdoors mega-retailer Cabela’s is planning a gun giveaway on Black Friday at different locations across the country.

Vouchers for a free firearm (or other gift) will be distributed to the first 600 people age 18 and over in line that morning at each participating store.

One of the firearms Cabela’s is giving away is the semiautomatic Ruger LC9, a compact pistol designed to be carried in public. Ruger advertises the LC9 as featuring “a short, light, crisp trigger pull for faster, more accurate shooting.” “Slim, lightweight and compact for personal protection,” they add.

Please contact Cabela’s through one of the channels below and give them the following message:

I was horrified to learn that you are giving away free semiautomatic handguns on Black Friday. The handgun in question, the Ruger LC9, is a compact pistol designed to be carried secretly in public so it cannot be detected. I find it grotesque that you would find this promotion acceptable so soon after the worst mass shooting in U.S. history (Las Vegas) and other recent gun-related horrors. You might also wish to consider that at least 31 individuals legally permitted to carry concealed guns in public have committed mass shootings (three or more innocents killed) since May 2007. You are making our streets more dangerous in order to put money in your pockets, and that is wrong. Shooting and killing other Americans in public is NOT an outdoor recreational activity. Shame on you.  Please cancel your Black Friday gun giveaway promotions permanently.

Cabela’s
Phone: 1-800-237-4444
Email via webform: https://www.cabelas.com/custserv/email_us.jsp or https://cabelas.custhelp.com/app/ask
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Cabelas/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Cabelas

Once you have contacted Cabela’s, click the orange banner below to report taking action!

Update: The final report issued by special counsel Robert Mueller was narrowly focused and did not touch on the NRA’s connections with the government of Russian president Vladimir Putin.

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Recently, the New York Times reported that President Donald Trump‘s senior adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, failed to disclose a “Russian backdoor overture [to the Trump campaign]” that occurred during the May 2016 National Rifle Association annual meeting in Louisville, Kentucky.

Present at the NRA’s 2016 meeting  for the fourth year running was Russian Central Bank head and Moscow mafia “godfather” Alexander Torshin, a close ally of Russian president Vladimir Putin.  Torshin knew then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump would also be attending the meeting (to receive the NRA’s endorsement). Through intermediaries, Torshin sent a request to Trump campaign aide Rick Dearborn, asking for a meeting with Trump to discuss “shared Christian values.” Torshin made it clear that he was speaking on behalf of Putin. He also bragged about being a lifetime member of the NRA and a “vocal advocate for gun rights.”

Kushner instructed Dearborn to turn down the request, but Torshin received a nice consolation prize: he was allowed to speak with Donald Trump, Jr. at a private dinner hosted by the NRA at a Louisville restaurant that weekend.

Please contact special prosecutor Bob Mueller through one of the channels below and give him the following message:

I am contacting you today to request that you look into the National Rifle Association’s relationship with the government of Vladimir Putin as part of your investigation into potential collusion between Russia and the campaign/administration of Donald Trump. On November 17, 2017, the New York Times reported new information that indicates the NRA was central to Putin’s efforts to court Trump. Putin ally and Russian Central bank head Alexander Torshin established relationships with NRA leaders like David Keene as early as 2011. During the 2016 NRA annual meeting, which he attended, Torshin requested a meeting with Trump, the featured speaker at the event. While the Trump campaign rebuffed this request, Torshin was allowed to speak to Donald Trump, Jr. at a private dinner hosted by the NRA. We know the NRA shared Russia’s enthusiasm for Trump—they endorsed him and spent more than $30 million to elect him. If this “nonprofit” gun lobby used their resources and influence to facilitate collusion between Donald Trump and Russia, the American people deserve to know. Please hold the NRA accountable for their actions.

Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III
Email: special.counsel@usdoj.gov
Snail Mail: Department of Justice, Special Counsel’s Office, 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Room B-103, Washington, DC 20530

Once you have contacted Mr. Mueller, click the orange banner below to report taking action!

Update: On March 23, 2018, President Donald Trump signed an omnibus spending bill into law that contained the (unaltered) provisions of the Fix NICS Act. Texas Senator John Cornyn, one of the co-sponsors of the bill (along with Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy) tweeted the following in response: “The benefits of Omnibus to…fixing gun background check system are important and will save lives.” Thanks to everyone who took this action!

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The congressional response to shootings in Las Vegas, Sutherland Springs, and so many other American towns and cities has been disappointing to say the least. But Senators Chris Murphy (D-CT) and John Cornyn (R-TX) have teamed up for a clean bill that would prevent a lot of dangerous people from getting guns. The bill is titled the Fix NICS Act of 2017.

The bill would take a number of critical steps to improve the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), which is queried during background checks for gun buyers:

• Creates new structure and oversight over federal agencies’ submission of records to NICS.
• Provides new incentives to states to get these records into NICS.
• Directs the Attorney General to work with state governments to ensure their progress in providing records NICS, with a special focus on domestic violence records.

Most importantly, this bill is free of the noxious, NRA-drafted language that has polluted gun reform bills like Manchin-Toomey and King-Thompson.

Please call your two U.S. Senators through the U.S. Capitol Hotline at (202) 224-3121 and give them the following message:

I am delighted to see Senators Murphy and Cornyn introduce a clean bill to improve our National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), the Fix NICS Act of 2017. I want you to use all the authority and influence you have in the Senate to ensure that this bill succeeds and is passed on the Senate floor. Please co-sponsor this legislation as well. If you have colleagues who have not yet co-sponsored the Fix NICS Act, talk to them and ask them to do so. Most importantly, DO NOT allow the NRA to attach noxious amendments to this bill that take us backwards on public safety. Keep it clean! I will be watching your actions on this bill closely and making future voting/organizing/contribution decisions based on them.

If you don’t know who your two Senators are, or want their direct-dial numbers, click here:

https://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Once you have contacted your Senators, click the orange banner below to report taking action!

Gun violence prevention advocates across the country are fighting hard to reform laws that arm domestic abusers. Since 2013, at least 25 states—including Alabama, Louisiana, Utah, North Dakota and South Carolina—have passed laws to help ensure the surrender of firearms by domestic abusers.

Want to know what you can do in your state to strengthen laws to keep guns away from domestic abusers?

1) Watch this powerful video about gun-related domestic violence and the dangerous “boyfriend loophole.”  Legislation has been introduced at both the federal and state level to address this problem.

https://www.facebook.com/actdottv/videos/709390952584807/ 

2) Click the link below and select your home state. Scroll down to find information about your state’s laws on “Domestic Violence & Firearms” and “Disarming Prohibited Persons.”

http://lawcenter.giffords.org/search-gun-law-by-state/

3) If you want to connect with a gun violence prevention group in your state to close the “boyfriend loophole” and other problems with your DV laws, leave a message in the Comments field of the Facebook group post of this alert. We will get you connected with someone!

Once you have taken completed one or more of the above steps, click the orange banner below to report taking action!

Yesterday, the Sandy Hook families presented their dramatic oral argument about assault weapons in the Remington/Bushmaster case before the Connecticut Supreme Court.

The families are making the argument that Remington engaged in negligent entrustment by supplying the Sandy Hook shooter with a semiautomatic rifle designed for battlefield use, the AR-15. The product was marketed to civilians as a military item that provides infantry with superior firepower.

In Connecticut, negligent entrustment is defined as “supplying of a qualified product by a seller for use by another person when the seller knows, or reasonably should know, the person to whom the product is supplied is likely to, and does, use the product in a manner involving unreasonable risk of physical injury to the person or others.”

Attorney Joshua D. Koskoff argued that Remington/Bushmaster must have forseen that these dangerous rifles would make their way into the hands of violent Americans through both the (weak) primary retail market and the unregulated (private sales) secondary market for firearms in the United States.

Please take one of the following two actions:

1) Read the following article about the oral argument in the Hartford Courant:

http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-news-sandy-hook-gun-supreme-court-20171110-story.html

2) Click the link below to watch the families’ oral argument by attorney Josh Koskoff. The argument is the first 30 minutes of the video:

http://ct-n.com/ctnplayer.asp?odID=14744&jump=0:00:06

After completing these steps, click the orange banner below to report taking action!

Update: Of the 39 gun bills introduced during the two-year legislative term in Michigan that began in January 2017, only one—which made technical changes to records coordination between counties and law enforcement—was signed into law by Governor Rick Snyder. Thanks to everyone who took this action!

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In a terrific hurry, the Michigan state Senate passed a flurry of dreadful gun bills on November 9, 2017 that would do the following:

• Allow concealed carry of loaded guns in K-12 schools.
• Allow 18, 19 and 20 year-olds to get permits to carry concealed guns in public.
• Allow foster parents to store firearms unsafely around children.

These bills could soon be headed to Governor Rick Snyder‘s desk. The good news is that Snyder has vetoed similar legislation in the past. The bad news is that it’s uncertain where he stands this time. Snyder is an NRA-endorsed governor with a solid ‘B’ rating.

Please contact Rick Synder through one of the channels below and give him the following message:

Please veto each of the three dangerous pieces of gun legislation on your desk right now—The “Guns Everywhere” bill allowing concealed carry in K-12 schools, places of worship, stadiums, daycare centers, bars; Lowering of concealed carry age from 21 to 18; Armed foster parents, etc. These bills are reckless and would lead to the unnecessarily loss of human lives in Michigan.  The safety of Michigan residents should not be sacrificed for gun industry/NRA profits. Stand firm and veto this legislation once again. I will be watching your actions closely and making my decisions about voting, organizing and contributing based on them.

Michigan Governor Rick Snyder
Phone: (517) 335-7858
Email: https://somgovweb.state.mi.us/GovRelations/ShareOpinion.aspx
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GovernorRickSnyder/ 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/onetoughnerd

After you contact Governor Snyder, click the orange banner below to report taking action!