Category: Action Alert

On December 6, 2017, Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts cancelled a planned speech by NRA spokesperson Antonia Okafor. The college claims that was because their faculty “did not follow its own procedures in sufficiently reviewing [Okafor’s] application,” but it was likely also because Okafor openly fetishizes firearms designed to take human life and is affiliated with an organization that has encouraged violence against journalists and Donald Trump’s detractors.

Okafor spoke at the NRA annual meeting this year in Atlanta and has appeared in a number of promotional ads for the organization, including its “I Am the NRA” series. She appears regularly in the NRA’s America’s 1st Freedom magazine and is a frequent guest on NRA-TV. Okafor has described the NRA as one of the greatest civil rights organizations in history. She is  best known as an ardent proponent of forcing colleges to allow firearms on their campuses.

During a time when shootings on college campuses has become a regular feature of American life, there is a legitimate safety risk in hosting speakers such as Antonia Okafor who encourage students to resolve confrontations through armed violence. It is also deeply disturbing that Okafor has voiced no criticism of an ongoing series of NRA videos that promote violence.

Americans have first amendment rights, but we also have a right to be safe in the places where we work, play, learn, and worship.

Please contact Hampshire College Director of Campus Leadership Carolyn Strycharz through one of the channels below and give her the following message:

I want to thank you for canceling the planned speech of NRA spokesperson Antonia Okafor. It is true that Americans have free speech rights and college campuses should be bastions of academic freedom where a wide range of views and voices are welcomed. But when those voices glamorize weapons designed to take human life and encourage students to resolve confrontations through armed violence, other important rights are implicated. Your most fundamental duty is to provide a safe environment for your students and faculty. Speakers who engage in the idolatry of firearms threaten such an environment and make violence more likely during a time when campus shootings are becoming a regular feature of American life. Do not bend to pro-gun bullies and NRA lobbyists. Stand by your principles and core commitment to nonviolent resolution of all issues. I and many others are with you.

Director of Campus Leadership Carolyn Strycharz 
Phone: (413) 559-6005
Email: leadership@hampshire.edu
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hampshirecollege/posts/10156179742211159
Twitter: https://twitter.com/hampshirecolg

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

Update: Just one day after this campaign was launched, Eatonville Mayor Eddie Cole announced the town was reversing its decision and awarding Cpl. Omar Delgado a pension! Thanks to everyone who contacted Mayor Cole and urged him to take this step. The Delgado family has something to be happy about this 2017 holiday season.

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One of the first officers to respond to the mass shooting at The Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Cpl. Omar Delgado, is being fired by the Eatonville Police Department just six months before he can vest in the pension system.

Delgado was credited with saving the life of Pulse survivor Angel Colon, who was injured in the shooting. Delgado spent hours inside The Pulse that night while the shooter held hostages in the bathroom.

Delgado returned to patrol duty a few months after the shooting, but was suffering from depression and PTSD and could not continue. For the past eight months, he has worked a desk job at the department. He believes he might have been fired because a doctor determined he was unfit to return to full duty because of his PTSD.

Cpl. Delgado has worked for the Eatonville Police Department for 9 ½ years. An additional six months of employment would allow him to become vested in the pension system and collect 64% of his current salary ($38,500) with benefits for life. As it stands now, he will only receive 42% percent of his salary (beginning at age 55).

At a town council meeting on December 5, 2017, Eatonville Mayor Eddie Cole defended the firing of Delgado. Neither he nor any other town official will give a reason for the dismissal.

Please contact Eatonville Mayor Eddie Cole through one of the channels below and give him the following message:

I recently heard that Cpl. Omar Delgado, a hero who put his life on the line during the mass shooting at The Pulse nightclub, is being fired six months before he can vest in the pension program at 10 years of service. I am absolutely outraged by this news and am calling on you to work with the Eatonville Police Department to reverse this decision immediately. It is nothing short of cruel to treat this officer in this fashion after he responded to one of the worst mass shootings in U.S. history and saved lives. Your public defense of this dismissal, and insensitivity to the psychological trauma endured by officers in active shooter situations, is unacceptable. Allow Cpl. Delgado to stay on the Eatonville Police Department until he reaches 10 years of service and is vested. That is the LEAST you can do for this man after the service he has provided to the residents of your community.

Eatonville Mayor Eddie Cole
Phone: (407) 623-8900
Email: ecole@townofeatonville.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Town-of-Eatonville-Florida-367620089981184/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/edcolemind

Once you have contacted Mayor Cole, 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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On Tuesday, December 5, 2017, the House Rules Committee will mark-up gun legislation previously approved by the Judiciary Committee.  Unfortunately, the Rules Committee has elected to combine two gun bills—one good and one very bad—into a single piece of legislation, making it impossible to support.

The good bill, the Fix NICS Act, would create new incentives for states to get records on prohibited buyers (e.g., domestic abusers, the dangerous mentally ill, substance abusers, etc.) into the FBI’s National Instant Criminals Background Check system, which is queried during gun purchases. It would also direct federal agencies including the military branches to share these records with the FBI.

But the Fix NICS Act has now been merged with the “National Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act,” a dangerous bill written by the National Rifle Association that 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. The legislation would even allow permit holders to sue police officers for checking their background!

It’s unfortunate that Republicans in Congress still refuse to allow clean, untainted gun control bills to move forward, even after the horrific shootings recently in places like Las Vegas and Sutherland Springs. But that is the reality we are dealing with.

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

I was deeply disturbed to hear that the House Rules Committee will be merging a good gun bill, the Fix NICS Act, with a terrible one, the NRA’s “National Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act.” This is a clear violation of the agreement between the two Senators who originally introduced the Fix NICS Act, Chris Murphy (D-CT) and John Cornyn (R-TX). In lieu of the Fix NICS Act now being poisoned beyond repair with the language of the “National Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act,” I am asking you to do everything in your power to make sure this combined legislation is defeated and permanently tabled. We will to return to strengthening our gun laws and saving lives once individuals of conscience control Congress.

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!

On the morning of December 3, 2017, the New York Times published a bombshell article detailing the attempts of an NRA leader to arrange a “first contact” between Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin during the 2016 presidential campaign.

In May 2016, GOP operative and NRA Life Member Paul Erickson sent Trump campaign adviser Rick Dearborn an email with the subject “Kremlin Connection” in which he offered to arrange a back-channel meeting between Trump and Putin during the NRA’s annual meeting in Louisville, Kentucky. Erickson also solicited the advice of then-Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions, a foreign policy adviser to the Trump campaign, on the matter. “Putin is deadly serious about building a good relationship with Mr. Trump,” Erickson wrote. “He wants to extend an invitation to Mr. Trump to visit him in the Kremlin before the election. Let’s talk through what has transpired and Senator Sessions’s advice on how to proceed … Ever since Hillary compared Putin to Hitler, all senior Russian leaders consider her beyond redemption.”

It is unclear how Dearborn and Sessions responded to Erickson’s request, but the New York Times story is merely the latest revelation about a longstanding NRA-Russia relationship that dates back to at least 2011. Unfortunately, this relationship has been chronically under-reported by the media and is still known to very few.

Please help change that by sharing the following post and hyperlink to your social media networks (Facebook, Twitter, etc.):

Bombshell of a report from NYT details effort of National Rifle Association leader to arrange “first contact” between Trump & Putin during 2016 presidential campaign.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/03/us/politics/trump-putin-russia-nra-campaign.html

After you share the article on social media, click the orange banner below to report taking action!

Update: In a memo to State Attorney Bruce Colton of Florida’s 19th judicial district on June 4, 2018, Assistant State Attorney Steve Gosnell said the decision had been made not to file charges against road rage killer Timothy Sartori after a six-month investigation. Gosnell wrote:

“Stand your ground (law) eliminated a need to retreat when you’re in a place other than your home. There is simply insufficient evidence to overcome the claim of self-defense. Mr. Sartori…could have avoided this tragic encounter had he made an effort to retreat with his vehicle. However…in Florida, the present state of self-defense law does not require him to do so. It is not for this prosecutor to debate the policy, but to enforce the laws as written.”

The One Pulse for America campaign calling for charges against Sartori was featured in an article by the newspaper on December 4, 2017.

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On November 16, 2017, concealed carry permit holder Timothy Sartori, 29, fired 16 shots during a road range confrontation with Dennis Hicks, 38, in Vero Beach, Florida. Hicks, who was unarmed, was killed instantly in front of motorists on State Road 60. Sartori also put four rounds into a car being driven by Michael Clemente. Clemente’s 3 year-old son was a passenger in the vehicle. Miraculously, neither were injured.

Sartori immediately claimed “self-defense,” even though there is no evidence that Hicks was armed or an immediate threat to him. Melissa Santler, 27, was a passenger in Sartori’s vehicle and a 911 call suggests she was deeply disturbed by his actions. Another witness said of Santori,  “He put so many rounds in there—I don’t see how anybody could’ve survived it.”

The shooter has a lengthy criminal record. Sartori was arrested in 2008 on felony charges of burglary of an unoccupied structure and grand theft auto. He pleaded those charges down to misdemeanors. He has also been cited on multiple occasions for reckless driving.

Despite all this, Santori was allowed to walk free that evening and has yet to be charged with any crime. The Clemente family has launched a petition at Change.org asking for Assistant State Attorney Steve Gosnell to bring charges.

Please contact Indian River County Sheriff Deryl Loar and Assistant State Attorney Steve Gosnell through one of the channels below and give them the following message:

I am contacting you to demand that you charge Timothy Sartori for killing Dennis Hicks and endangering others during the road rage altercation that occurred on State Road 60 on November 16, 2017. We have yet to see a single piece of evidence that Hicks was armed or an immediate threat to Sartori. Yet one witness reported, “[Sartori] put so many rounds in [Hicks’ car]—I don’t see how anybody could’ve survived it.” Furthermore, Sartori put four rounds into a bystander’s vehicle that contained a 3 year-old child! He endangered not only the occupants of this vehicle, but of all the vehicles around him, when he had countless other options to avoid violence. It is disgusting that you allowed this man to walk free that night and have yet to charge him with a crime. He has a lengthy criminal record, is a threat to public safety, and needs to be charged immediately. I will be watching your actions closely.

Assistant State Attorney Steve Gosnell
Phone: (772) 226-3300

Sheriff Deryl Loar
Phone: (772) 569-6700
Email via webform: http://www.ircsheriff.org/email.cfm
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ircsheriff
Twitter: https://twitter.com/IRCSheriff

Once you have contacted Attorney Gosnell and Sheriff Loar, 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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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!