JAC Gun Violence Prevention Toolkit

GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION TOOLKIT

It's time to take action to stop gun violence. 

Here's what you can do:

Over a 48-hour period from Agust 3rd to August 4th, our country witnessed BACK TO BACK mass shootings. There have been more mass shootings in this country than days in this year.

Chicago's Mount Sinai Hospital temporarily stopped accepting patients on Sunday morning because they were at capacity following a series of shootings.

THIS IS NOT NORMAL.

Here are resources and information you can use to call upon lawmakers to DO SOMETHING.

1. Statistics about Gun Violence
2. Gun Violence Prevention Legislation
3. Senators to Call
4. Talking Points
5. Sample Tweets
6. Social Media Graphics
7. Town Hall Meeting Schedule
8. News Updates
9. Resources

STATISTICS ABOUT GUN VIOLENCE 

• On average, 100 Americans are killed with guns per day.
• On average, fewer people die from gun violence in states with strong gun laws and more people die in states with weak gun laws. The 10 states with the highest gun death rate have some of the weakest gun laws in the nation. 
• Since 1994, background checks have prevented over 3 million illegal gun sales.
• There have been 255 mass shootings in the United States since the beginning of 2019. That's an average of more than one mass shooting per day.
• The U.S. gun homicide rate is 25 times that of other high-income countries.
• When used in mass shootings, assault weapons or high capacity magazines result in 47 percent more deaths compared to other incidents.
• Over 90% of Americans support expanded background checks, but Mitch McConnell refuses to bring these bills to a vote in the Senate. 

GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION LEGISLATION​​​​​​​ 

• Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019 (HR 8): Requires a background check for EVERY GUN SALE, closing the dangerous gun show loophole. 
• Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2019 (HR 1112): Closes the "Charleston loophole," which allows dangerous individuals to purchase firearms if their background check is not completed within 3 business days. 
• HR 2740: This appropriations bill includes $50 million in funding for the CDC and NIH to study gun violence as a public health problem. The Senate has yet to vote on this bill. 

Call the House and Senate and urge your Representative and Senators to pass:

• Extreme Risk Protection Orders (Red Flag Laws): Allows law enforcement to remove guns from the possession of people deemed a risk to themselves or others. 17 states and the District of Columbia have successfully passed red flag laws.
• Banning Assault Weapons and Large Capacity Magazines: Assault weapons and high capacity magazines are often the guns of choice for mass shooters, since they are significantly deadlier than other firearms. The majority of Americans support stricter laws on assault weapons. 

Call These Senators