Category: Action Alert

On the evening of October 4, 2017 at a CNN Town Hall, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi had a remarkable exchange with Bob Patterson, whose wife Lisa was slain in the mass shooting in Las Vegas.

Addressing Pelosi remotely from his home just three days after the tragedy, a clearly shaken (and courageous) Patterson told her he supported an Assault Weapons Ban and regulations on the bulk purchase of ammunition:

I am not opposed to having a gun for protection. My wife and I had a gun for that reason. We talked about guns and both felt that there is no reason to own the type of guns and the amount of ammunition that the shooter had … How many more lives have to be taken before something is done? Congresswoman Pelosi, as a leader on Capitol Hill, what are you going to do to stop this?

Minority Leader Pelosi’s answer was deeply disappointing.  She would only promise to call for the formation of a select committee to study the problem of gun violence and a vote on the “Public Safety and Second Amendment Rights Protection Act,” a deeply flawed background checks bill introduced by Rep. Peter King (R-NY) and Rep. Mike Thompson (CA). The act, H.R. 1217, would require background checks to be conducted on private sales of firearms at gun shows and online, but it includes numerous gifts for the gun lobby. These pro-gun provisions would deregulate interstate sales of handguns, shorten the amount of time that the FBI has to process a background check, allow individuals to transport assault rifles through states that ban them, and extend unprecedented legal protections to online gun sellers.

We have a real opportunity in this moment to connect with gun owners who understand there is no need for military-style armaments in America’s neighborhoods. Bob Patterson is not the only one.  But Democrats must lead us in Congress.

Please contact House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi through one of the channels below and give her the following message:

At your CNN Town Hall, Las Vegas survivor Bob Patterson told you that while he owns guns, he and his slain wife Lisa agreed that “there is no reason” for Americans to own assault weapons, or to purchase ammunition in bulk. Your response, promising Patterson only to call for a vote on a deeply flawed background checks bill (loaded with goodies for the gun lobby) and a select committee to study the problem, was deeply disappointing. We have a historic opportunity right now to connect with gun owners and other Americans who understand that military-style armaments have no place in our neighborhoods. After the horror of Las Vegas, what you and the House Democrats are asking for is NOT ENOUGH. Please call for a vote on Rep. David Cicilline’s FULL Assault Weapons Ban bill immediately. As an American citizen, I have a right to know where my Representative stands on this specific issue before the 2018 mid-term elections.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi
Phone: (202) 225-4965 or (202) 225-0100 (straight to voicemail)
Email: AmericanVoices@mail.house.gov or https://pelosi.house.gov/contact-me
FB: https://www.facebook.com/NancyPelosi/videos/10156038080799384/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NancyPelosi

Once you have contacted House Minority Leader Pelosi, click the orange  banner below to report taking action!

Update: Senator Dianne Feinstein introduced an updated version of her 2013 Assault Weapons Ban legislation on November 8, 2017. Congressman David Cicilline followed suit on February 26, 2018, introducing a companion bill in the House with Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL). The Assault Weapons Ban of 2018 is a far stronger, more effective reform than the original 1994-2004 AWB law. Thanks to everyone who has taken action in this campaign!

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From 1994 to 2004, the United States of America had an Assault Weapons Ban in place at the federal level. Now, after the horror and suffering we saw in Las Vegas, it is time for legislators to do what they should have done more than a decade ago—renew the Assault Weapons Ban.

Senator Dianne Feinstein has introduced a bill that would ban the sale, transfer, importation, manufacture or possession of bump stocks, trigger cranks and similar accessories that accelerate a semiautomatic rifle’s rate of fire.

That’s a good first step, but it’s not enough. The Vegas shooter had 23 semiautomatic rifles in his possession during the attack, including AR-15 and AK-47 variants. He used these weapons to kill 58 people and wound more than 500 others on October 1, 2017. We have reached a tipping point in terms of the level of militarization we are seeing in civilian and law enforcement firepower. It’s time to turn that needle back significantly.

We have two champions in Congress when it comes to renewing the Assault Weapons Ban: Senator Feinstein and Congressman David Cicilline.

Please contact Senator Feinstein and Congressman Cicilline through one of the channels below and give them the following message:

Thank you so much for your past leadership on the issue of the Assault Weapons Ban. After the horror we saw in Las Vegas, please reintroduce your Assault Weapons Ban of 2013 bill and call on Republican leadership to give you an up and down vote on it. We cannot leave a society teeming with battlefield rifles to our children. We are better than this and Americans have a right to know where their legislators stand on this issue. Make them vote.

Senator Dianne Feinstein
Phone: (202) 224-3841
Email webform: https://www.feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/e-mail-me
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SenatorFeinstein/posts/1539298089426690
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SenFeinstein

Congressman David Cicilline
Phone: (202) 225-4911
Email webform: https://cicilline.house.gov/contact-me/email-me
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CongressmanDavidCicilline/videos/1449101751792412/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/davidcicilline

Once you have contacted Senator Feinstein and/or Rep. Cicilline, click the orange I TOOK ACTION TO PREVENT GUN VIOLENCE button below.

Thank you for demanding bold action in this tragic moment for our country.

Update: Adam Laxalt refused to enforce Nevada’s ballot referendum on universal background checks as attorney general. Laxalt was defeated by Democrat Steve Sisolak in his bid for the governor’s mansion in November 2018. On February 15, 2019, Governor Sisolak signed universal background checks legislation into law. “In November 2016, the majority of Nevadans made it clear they wanted us to do more to address gun violence, but for the 829 days since then, they’ve been ignored,” said Sisolak at the signing ceremony. “That finally changes today.”

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Six months ago, Nevada state attorney general Adam Paul Laxalt stood at a lectern at the NRA’s annual meeting and bragged about refusing to enforce a universal background check law that voters in his state approved on Election Day 2016. He told the NRA faithful he did it because he was “the last line of defense against the Obama Administration.”

How corrupt is Laxalt? The NRA hired his campaign manager, Robert Uithoven, to run their campaign in opposition to Nevada’s universal background check referendum. Now Laxalt is single-handedly holding up the implementation of Nevada’s universal background check law as attorney general by refusing to negotiate with the FBI and other key stakeholders. And the NRA is attacking Laxalt’s critics.

Now, after a single individual armed with an absolute arsenal has inflicted nearly 600 casualties in Las Vegas, Laxalt has the audacity think he is going to be the next governor of Nevada.

Please contact Nevada State Attorney General Adam Paul Laxalt through one of the channels below and and give him the following message:

I am absolutely disgusted by your refusal to implement Nevada’s democratically-enacted universal background check law. Now that we have seen the scale of suffering inflicted on Americans in Las Vegas by a single individual with 23 firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition, it is time for you to end your corrupt partnership with the NRA and implement this law. If you do not, I will do everything in my power–peacefully and democratically–to make sure you never become governor of Nevada (or any elected office).

NV Attorney General Adam Paul Laxalt
Phone: (702) 486-3420
Email: aginfo@ag.nv.gov
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NVAttorneyGeneral/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/adamlaxalt

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

Update: On October 3, 2017, House Speaker Paul Ryan announced the SHARE Act was no longer on the House schedule. Ryan indicated there are no plans to bring the bill back up for consideration. Additionally, Congressman Peter Defazio, a Democrat from Oregon, has removed himself as a sponsor of the SHARE Act. Thanks to all those who contacted their Representative asking for this dangerous bill to be tabled!

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In the wake of the gruesome mass shooting in Las Vegas, in which a gunman armed with high-powered weapons killed at least 58 people and injured more than 500, the U.S. House of Representatives must table the dangerous SHARE Act.

The 64 year-old gunman in Las Vegas was able to inflict so many casualties because he was armed with high-powered firearms. The SHARE Act would make future shooters even more lethal and difficult to detect.

The “Sportsmen Heritage and Recreational Enhancement Act” (SHARE Act) was introduced by Congressman Jeff Duncan (R-SC) on behalf of the National Rifle Association. Contrary to its name, the bill is a regressive piece of legislation that would do the following:

• Eliminate the longstanding and successful licensing and registration process for civilians who wish to obtain firearm silencers. Furthermore, the 1.4 million silencers already in civilian hands could be transferred through private sales, with no background check!
• Require the government to destroy records of silencer sales/transfers.
• Prevent the government from classifying ammunition as “armor-piercing,” thereby guaranteeing its sale on the civilian market.
• Nullify state gun laws preventing the possession of dangerous firearms, allowing individuals in states with weak gun laws to transport their assault rifles through any state in the country.
• Allow hunters to shoot and kill bear cubs in their dens while they are hibernating.

Please call your representative in the House of Representatives through the U.S. Capitol Hotline at (202) 224-3121 and give him/her the following message:

After the horrific shooting in Las Vegas, the SHARE Act must be tabled immediately. By deregulating silencers and armor-piercing ammunition, the SHARE Act would make future active shooters even more lethal and difficult to detect. That is unacceptable and grotesque. I call on you to exercise your authorities and influence to ensure that the SHARE Act is tabled, immediately and permanently. I will be watching your actions closely, and making decisions as a voter, donor and activist based on them.

If you don’t know who your Representative is, you can find out at this link (and get their direct dial number):

https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members

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

Update: The Hill published its last op-ed by John Lott on July 23, 2018. Thanks to everyone who took action in this campaign!

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The popular Washington, D.C. newspaper The Hill continues to publish op-eds by John Lott, a conspiracy theorist and discredited pro-gun economist who actively promotes the agenda of the NRA.

Lott is infamous for impersonating a female college student, “Mary Rosh,” to write a glowing review of his book “More Guns, Less Crime” on Amazon. The central thesis of the book, that America would be safer if it had even more guns, has been debunked by academics and the National  Research Council.

Lott was kicked out of academia years ago for fabricating surveys, making fraudulent claims about where he has been published, and promoting studies that have significant errors. He now runs the “Crime Prevention Research Center.” The leadership of the organization includes Ted Nugent, radical former sheriff David Clarke, and multiple climate deniers.

Please email the editorial department at The Hill at editor@thehill.com and give them the following message:

I am disgusted that you are continuing to publish op-eds by discredited pro-gun economist John Lott. He was kicked out of academia long ago for fabricating surveys, impersonating others to praise his work, and making false claims about where he has been published. His central thesis, that more guns will lead to less crime, has been debunked repeatedly by academics and even the National Research Council. Lott’s organization, the “Crime Prevention Research Center,” has among its leadership racist/anti-Semite/misogynistTed Nugent, radical former sheriff David Clarke, and multiple climate deniers. Following the attempted bombing of Barack Obama, the Clintons, Maxine Waters and other declared enemies of Donald Trump in October 2018, Lott took to Twitter to promote a conspiracy theory that the attacks were a hoax perpetrated by Democrats. You do not owe this man a platform and you have a responsibility to journalistic integrity. Stop publishing Lott and remove him from your website immediately! Otherwise, I will make it my life’s mission to inform Beltway readers about how you have stooped to his level.

Once you have contacted the editorial department at The Hill, fill out the three fields below and click the orange banner to report taking action!

Update: On December 17, 2017, Ken Toltz announced he was suspending his race for Congress because of a serious health situation in his immediate family.

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Safe Campus Colorado founder and co-chair Ken Toltz is currently exploring a run in Colorado’s 2nd Congressional District. This is the seat being vacated by Democrat Representative Jared Polis. Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense founder Shannon Watts had also considered a run in Colorado’s 2nd, but decided against it.

Safe Campus Colorado is a terrific organization that “believes gun violence prevention is one of the major public safety issues of our time.” Ken has fought tirelessly to rewrite Colorado law so that individuals are prohibited from bringing firearms onto the state’s college campuses.

Ken is a political veteran. He ran for Congress in Colorado’s 6th district against Tom Tancredo in 2000. He also taught business strategy at the University of Denver.

Here is a description of what an exploratory committee does:

The exploratory committee has been around for decades, and technically it creates a legal shell for a candidate who expects to spend more than $5,000 while contemplating an actual run. Under the rules, exploratory money may be raised without the full disclosure of sources required of true candidates. Only when the candidate drops the exploratory label does the full responsibility of transparency apply. Candidates use an exploratory committee as not only a transitional phase for their bookkeeping but as an extra claim on media attention.

2) Click on the Facebook and Twitter Share banners to share the page on social media.

3) If you are capable of doing so, make a contribution to Ken’s exploratory committee.

Once completing one or more of the above steps, click the orange banner below to report taking action!

North Pointe Preparatory, a charter school in Phoenix, Arizona serving grades 7-12, recently allowed its senior class to engage in a “prank” in which students simulated the ultraviolent horror movie “The Purge.” Students donned masks, wielded water pistols, and simulated the kidnapping and shooting of other students in a “Senior Purge.” These events were filmed  and broadcast on the school’s closed-circuit TV system. Video was also posted to the school’s Facebook page.

The school’s principal, Richard Gow, gave his approval to these activities despite the fact that an off-duty Phoenix Police Department officer on the school’s campus advised him against it. Gow is now decrying “the noise of thousands who do not understand who we are and the unique culture we enjoy” and accusing critics of attempting to “intimidate” the school. The school is also mounting a Trump-style campaign against CBS Phoenix affiliate reporter Donna Rossi for her reporting on the “prank.”

Once you have contacted North Pointe Prep, click the orange banner below to report taking action!

Marylanders to Prevent Gun Violence (MPGV) has launched a website called “Behind the Statistics” that shares stories about gun deaths and injuries and how families, friends, and communities have been affected by these tragedies. “No more numbers,” declares MGPV. “Say their names.” By allowing survivors to tell their deeply personal stories, MPGV hopes to help change the culture of violence in this country.

The stories cover the full spectrum of gun violence: homicides, suicides, shootings perpetrated by law enforcement, etc. At the bottom of each, there is a place for readers to leave comments of support.

Once you have left a comment for one or more of the survivors at the website, click the orange banner below to report taking action!

Florida’s Code of Judicial Conduct states that judges “shall not use or permit the use of the prestige of judicial office for fundraising or membership solicitation.” In 2012, Florida’s Judicial Ethics Advisory Committee ruled that judges could not attend the dinners of organizations that are not committed to the improvement of the law, writing, “The judge’s presence at the gala dinner would be lending the prestige of the judge’s office to further advance the interests of the [in this case, religious] organization.”

Two jurists on Florida’s First District Court of Appeals—Judges Clay Roberts and Kemmerly Thomas—apparently never got the memo. They bought tables at a “Friends of NRA” fundraiser in Tallahassee on September 15, 2017. Funds raised by the event went directly to the NRA Foundation.

Once you have emailed the Florida Supreme Court, click the orange banner below to report taking action!

Update: The AP Stylebook reported the following back to One Pulse for America: “We have received many, many requests about that gun violence language [“accidental shooting”] since [September 21]. Sending more doesn’t have any effect! We consider every request we receive, whether we get it once or hundreds of times … We have the proposal, many times over, and will consider it at length … The Stylebook team will consider it between now and late January along with many other proposals for our 2018 edition …The 2018 edition will be published in late May; some changes are announced before then and others are released at the time of publication.”

Thanks to One Pulser Gale Morrison for coming up with the idea for this campaign and communicating with AP Stylebook for updates (and to everyone who has taken this action!). We will check back in May 2017 to see if the AP Stylebook recommends new language.

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For decades, journalists have used the term “accidental shooting” to describe tragedies that are the direct result of negligent behavior by gun owners. For example, shootings that occur when a gun owner leaves a loaded, unsecured firearm in reach of a child, or suicidal adult. Or cases where a gun owner is behaving in a cavalier and reckless fashion with his firearm and discharges it unintentionally.

By labeling such shootings “accidental,” the media implies they could not have been prevented—when nothing is further from the truth.  The term also absolves gun owners of responsibility for the injuries and deaths caused by their negligence.

In the interest of changing this practice, please take the following two steps:

1)  Click on the following link to access the Suggestions page for the Associated Press Stylebook. The Stylebook is a highly influential English grammar style and usage guide created by AP journalists to standardize mass communications:

https://www.apstylebook.com/suggestions

Once you have submitted your suggestion to the Associated Press Stylebook, click the orange I TOOK ACTION TO PREVENT GUN VIOLENCE button below.

Target Goal: 75 Suggestions

Thank you for taking action to change America’s gun culture in a way that will encourage accountability and save lives!