I hope many of you will take an hour out of your day THIS FRIDAY, Feb. 23rd from 11:30 to 12:30 (see details below) to join the National Strike called in protest of the latest round of school shootings and Congress’ betrayal of our children’s lives in favor of loose—and in many states, effectively no—gun safety regulations and the out-of-control gun lobby.
Below is one more gruesome list: the names of children and adults killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas School in Parkland FL. Each one of them could still be alive today…if we prioritized children over lax gun laws. (With thanks to Po Murray, mother of a child killed in the Newtown, CT school massacre and chair, Newtown Action Alliance & The Newtown Foundation)
Jaime Guttenberg, 14
Nicholas Dworet
Martin Duque, 14
Meadow Pollack, 18
Cara Loughran
Alaina Petty, 14
Joaquin Oliver, 17
Luke Hoyer, 15
Alyssa Alhadeff, 15
Gina Montalto, 14
Carmen Schentrup,
Alex Schachter, 14
Peter Wang, 15
Helena Ramsey, 17
Track coach Aaron Feis, 37
Teacher Scott Beigel, 35
Athletic Director Chris Hixon, 49
Fifteen others were injured.
Republicans in the US House and Senate have long held the key to effective, sane gun regulation…and up to now they have bowed to a vocal gun constituency and the well-financed, extremist gun lobby. Enough. Now even nonpartisan groups like UU FaithAction NJ must be unceasing in our pressure on NJ Republicans who have blood on their hands–those words are written consciously and with due consideration—because of years of inaction on effective and common sense gun/ammunition control.
What: National Walk Out of Parents, Students, and Concerned Residents to Protest at Republican Congressional District Offices
When: Friday, Feb. 23 from 11:30/12 to 1 p.m.
Where: A Republican Congressional office near you. I and my 12 year old daughter will be joining many protesting outside Congressman Leonard Lance’s district offices in Westfield (425 North Avenue East, Westfield, NJ 07090) while others will be gathering in Flemington (361 Route 31, Unit 1400 Flemington, NJ 08822.) Protests are also scheduled in Morristown at Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen’s office (30 Schuyler Pl #2, Morristown, NJ 07960) and the Cherry Hill area.
Who: Many parents will be taking their children out of school in protest of the latest round of school shootings. I will be among them—but everyone needs to show up to ensure we in the majority on this issue are heard and change national gun regulation.
Please note: there are other major gun violence protests happening around the country within the next month or two. This includes the highly publicized March 24 “March For Our Lives” on Washington DC called for by surviving students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas H.S. in Parkland, FL. We hope to have a NJ UU presence at that march and will be getting back in touch with you shortly. You can learn more about that march here www.marchforourlives.com/
Two additional pieces of potentially hopeful news (with thanks from Kathy Allen Roth, UU Beacon/Summit for passing on):
How Banks Could Control Gun Sales if Washington Won’t by Andrew Sorkin (NYT Feb. 21) https://nyti.ms/2BDLBE7
GOP Chairman May Rethink CDC Ban on Gun Violence Research
Finally, I wanted to let you know that UU FaithAction NJ (though under our old name) is signatory to this open letter from the Campaign Against Assault Weapons. We will keep the pressure on until the American cult worship of weapons of mass murder is exposed and safely curtailed.
In faith, with love, for justice,
Rob
AN OPEN LETTER TO GOVERNOR RICK SCOTT, SENATE PRESIDENT JOE NEGRON, HOUSE SPEAKER RICHARD CORCORAN, AND SENATE JUDICIARY CHAIRMAN GREG STEUBE
February 20, 2018
Dear Governor Rick Scott, Senate President Joe Negron, House Speaker Richard Corcoran, and Senate Judiciary Chairman Greg Steube:
We send you our thoughts and prayers for the loss of your constituents to another heartbreaking mass shooting incident in the State of Florida. Your state is now the home of the two deadliest mass shooting incidents in modern U.S. history.
After the deadly Orlando shooting, you took no action to keep your citizens safe from gun violence and now 17 families from Parkland have been devastated by another senseless and preventable act of gun violence.
The 19-year-old Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter was able to legally purchase Smith & Wesson M&P15 assault rifle in your state to turn a place of learning into a bloody warzone. The same assault rifle was used to kill 12 people and wounded 70 others in a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado in 2012 and to kill 14 people in a community center in San Bernardino, California in 2015.
Military-style semi-automatic assault weapons are designed to efficiently kill as many people as possible in the shortest amount of time available. There is absolutely no reason for assault rifles, assault pistols, and assault shotguns to be sold to civilians.
Governor Dannell Malloy and the Democratic and Republican members of the Connecticut State Legislature passed the second strongest gun laws in the nation -including a ban on assault weapons and high capacity magazines – after 20 children and six educators were senselessly gunned down in Sandy Hook Elementary School. Now, Connecticut is ranked 46th for gun death rate – one of the lowest in the nation. Conversely, Florida is ranked 26th for gun laws and 25th for gun death rate.
For the past two legislative sessions, the Florida Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence and the League of Women Voters of Florida have implored you to ban the sale of military-style assault weapons and large-capacity magazines in your state. Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith and Sen. Linda Stewart have introduced bills calling for these bans, but neither have been placed on their legislative committees’ agenda to be heard.
We, the 168 organizations from the Campaign Against Assault Weapons, implore you to immediately put SB 196 and HB 219 on the legislative committee agenda, hold a hearing and work to pass these life-saving measures to keep your constituents safe in Florida. If you fail to take action to honor the lives lost in Parkland and Orlando then we will implore your constituents to hold you accountable on Election Day.
Sincerely,
A New Routine for America
AIDS CT
All Saints Church Pasadena Gun Violence Prevention Task Force
All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church
American Federation of Teachers
Anna’s Place: A Franciscan Hospitality Center
Arizonans for Gun Safety
Art = Ammo, Artists Against Gun Violence
Avaaz
Battle Born Progress
Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence united with Million Mom March
Brave New Films
Bridgeport Child Advocacy Coalition
Broader Representation Advocacy Team- Political Action Committee (BRAT-PAC)
Californians For Gun Safety
Campaign to Unload
Ceasefire Oregon
CeaseFire Pennsylvania
Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church
Central Lutheran Church
Chicago’s Citizens for Change, Inc.
Children’s Firearm Safety Alliance
Coalition Against Gun Violence, a Santa Barbara County Coalition
Coalition for Peace Action
Coalition of Nebraskans Against Gun Violence
Coalition to Stop Gun Violence
CODEPINK Women for Peace
Colorado Ceasefire
Colorado Faith Communities United to End Gun Violence
Concert Across America to End Gun Violence
Congregation Kol Ami
Connecticut Against Gun Violence
Delaware Coalition Against Gun Violence
Democracy for America
Disarm Hate
Doctors for America
Dominican Sisters of Blauvelt, NY
Dominican Sisters of Peace
End the Madness
Episcopal Peace Fellowship
Equality California
Every Child Matters
Faiths United to Prevent Gun Violence
Families4peace
Felician Sisters of Livonia
First Church
FIVE AWAKE
Florida Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence
Franciscan Peace Center
Franciscan Sisters
Franciscan Sisters of St. Joseph
Franciscan Sisters of the Poor
Friends Against Violence Everywhere (FAVE)
GAYS against GUNS
Gays Not Guns
Georgetown Against Gun Violence
Georgia Alliance for Social Justice
Georgians for Gun Safety
Global Exchange
Grandmothers Against Gun Violence – Cape Cod
Grandparents Against Gun Violence (MO)
Greenwich Council Against Gun Violence
Grey Nuns of the Sacred Heart
Gun Violence Prevention Center of Utah
GunControlToday
GunsDown
Gunsense Vermont
Hands Up for Gun Safety (HUGS)
Hawaii Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence
Healing 4 Our Families & Our Nation
Heeding God’s Call
Herndon-Reston Alliance To End Gun Violence
Holman United Methodist Church
Hoosiers Concerned About Gun Violence
Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence
International Health & Epidemiology Research Center
Iowans for Gun Safety
Jessi’s Message
Jewish Women International (JWI)
Joint Action Committee
JPIC Office of the Wheaton Franciscans
Justice, peace and integrity for creation committee
Latin America Working Group Education Fund
League of Women Voters of Florida
LGBT4GVP
Louisiana Violence Reduction Coalition
LPAC
MA Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence
March For Racial Justice #M4RJ
Marylanders to Prevent Gun Violence
Michigan Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence
Michigan Gun Violence Prevention Caucus
Mike the Gun Guy
MomsRising
Monmouth Center for World Religions and Ethical Thought
MoveOn.org Civic Action
Mt. Vernon Unitarian Church
National Coalition Against Domestic Violence
National Council of Jewish Women
National Domestic Violence Hotline
National Education Association
National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund
National Medical Council on Gun Violence
National Physicians Alliance
National Women’s Law Center
New Castle Promise
New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence
New Yorkers Against Gun Violence
Newtown Action Alliance
North Carolina Council of Churches
North Carolinians Against Gun Violence Education Fund
Northwest Corner Committee for Gun Violence Prevention
Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence
Oklahoma Gun Sense
One Pulse for America
Pacem in Terris-Delaware
Physicians for the Prevention of Gun Violence
Pride Fund to End Gun Violence
Progressive Congress Action Fund
Project End Gun Violence
Protect Minnesota
Protest Easy Guns
Rabbis Against Gun Violence
Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association
Rhode Island Coalition Against Gun Violence
Safe Campus Colorado
San Diegans for Gun Violence Prevention
Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia
Sisters of St. Joseph
Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet
Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, Albany Province
Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, LA Province
Sravasti Abbey
St. Mark’s Episcopal Church Capitol Hill DC
St. Sabina’s Church
States United to Prevent Gun Violence
Step Up, Step Out: End the Culture of Violence, a ministry of Asylum Hill Congregational Church
Stop Handgun Violence
Stop Killing Innocent People (SKIP)
Stop the Violence Coalition, Buffalo, NY
Stop the Violence Prayer Chain, Wilm. DE
Survivors Empowered
Team 26
Temple Micah Gun Violence Prevention Group
The Campaign to Keep Guns Off Campus
The Connecticut Effect
The ENOUGH Campaign
The Greater Phoenix Million Mom March
The Safe Tennessee Project
The Washington office on Latin America
Theodore Parker Church UU Social Action Committee
Union for Reform Judaism
Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry of New Jersey
Violence Policy Center
Violence Prevention Coalition of Greater Los Angeles
Virginia Center for Public Safety
Virginia Gun Violence Prevention Coalition
Vision Quilt
Washing Ceasefire Foundation
Washington Ceasefire
Washington National Cathedral Gun Violence Prevention Group
We The People For Sensible Gun Laws
Wheaton Franciscans
Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort Ed Fund
Women Against Gun Violence
Women Against the Violence Epidemic (WAVE)
Women’s March
Women’s Voices Raised for Social Justice, St. Louis, MO
Po Murray
Chairman, Newtown Action Alliance & The Newtown Foundation
P.O. Box 3325, Newtown CT 06470
203-512-1778