Action #1: First, take a moment to thank Joe!
UPDATE:#MoreThanThoughtsAndPrayers – Biden just issued an executive action against gun violence!The White House fact sheet details the administration’s six key actions:
- The Justice Department, within 30 days, will issue a proposed rule to help stop the proliferation of “ghost guns”;
- The Justice Department, within 60 days, will issue a proposed rule to make clear when a device marketed as a stabilizing brace effectively turns a pistol into a short-barreled rifle subject to the requirements of the National Firearms Act;
- The Justice Department, within 60 days, will publish model “red flag” legislation for states;
- The administration is investing in evidence-based community violence interventions;
- The Justice Department will issue an annual report on firearms trafficking; and
- The president will nominate David Chipman to serve as Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms.
Contact Joe here and tell him what this means to you, your friends and your family.
Action #2: Join him in encouraging Congress to pass the background check bills Americans want. Encourage your senators to vote “YES” on H.R. 8 and H.R. 1446.
(This video is from last year, but both bills died in McConnell’s Senate, so we’re right back at the beginning again.)
On March 6th, President Biden thanked the American public for making the American Rescue Plan possible, that we, the people, were the bi-partisan support he needed to push it through. Well, when it comes to background checks for guns, we, the American public, are once again the main bipartisan support. 93 percent of American voters support requiring background checks on all gun sales, including 89 percent of Republicans and 87 percent of gun owners. To get the job done, however, we need to finally pass two related bills, both of which may be voted on in the House tomorrow.
- H.R. 8 – Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021 requires all guns, with a few exceptions, to be sold from licensed dealers. The “Bipartisan” in the title is aspirational.
- H.R.1446 – Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021 extends the background check time from 3 to 10 days to eliminate the “Charleston Loophole.” The name refers to the 2015 shooting of nine people at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church in Charleston, S.C., where Dylann Roof – who was prohibited by law from possessing a firearm – was able to acquire one under current federal law from the dealer after 3 days, before the FBI could complete his background check.
We expect both to pass the House, but thank your legislators anyway. (Rep-check here for HR. 8 and here for H.R.1446.) Reps. Brownley and Carbajal are signed onto both already. The problem will clearly occur in the Senate, so we also need to start calling our senators, and urging friends and family in RED states to call theirs.
NOTE: WE AREN’T THE ONLY ONES CALLING! Gun-owners AGAINST background checks are working the phones too.
Minimal script: I’m calling to tell Senator [___] that like the overwhelming majority of Americans from both parties, I want [him/her] to strongly support and pass H.R. 8 – Bipartisan Background Checks Act and H.R.1446 – Enhanced Background Checks Act.
Contacts
- Senator Feinstein: email, DC (202) 224-3841, LA (310) 914-7300, SF (415) 393-0707, SD (619) 231-9712, Fresno (559) 485-7430
- and Senator Padilla: email, DC (202) 224-3553, LA (310) 231-4494, SAC (916) 448-2787, Fresno (559) 497-5109, SF (415) 981-9369, SD (619) 239-3884
- Who is my representative/senator?: https://whoismyrepresentative.com
Action #3: CA state gun bills in committee hearings soon. Call your assemblymember!
Of the gun bills we are tracking, these two, AB-1237 and AB-876 are appearing in the Assembly Public Safety Committee on Tuesday, April 13.
If your assemblymember is on this committee (see below) CALL them. If not, email them and put this legislation on their radar when it comes to the floor.
Minimal script: I’m calling/writing to ask Asm. [___] to support the passage of AB-876 and AB-876, important gun-related legislation necesssary to improve safety for all Californians.
Contacts:
State Assemblymember Steve Bennett (CA-37): SAC (916) 319-2037, SB (805) 564-1649, VTA (805) 641-3700 email
Not your people?:findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov.
Deeper dive on these bills
AB-1237 – This bill requires the California Department of Justice to release the state’s gun violence data to researchers, which was partially cut off by outgoing Attorney General Xavier Becerra. (WTH?) This bill would name the center for research into firearm-related violence the California Firearm Violence Research Center at UC Davis. The bill would generally require that the information above be made available to researchers affiliated with the California Firearm Violence Research Center at UC Davis, and, at the department’s discretion, be made available to any other nonprofit bona fide research institution or public agency concerned with the study and prevention of violence, for academic and policy research purposes. (Ting)
AB-876 – “First-in-the-Nation Legislation Would Overcome Gun Industry Obstinance and Mark A Major Step Forward In the Adoption of Microstamping Technology; Would Increase Accountability and Transparency in Officer-Involved Shootings.” In collaboration with Team ENOUGH and the Brady Campaign, Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D – Woodland Hills) announced new legislation today that would make California the first state in the nation to require firearms used by law enforcement to include microstamping technology.
This legislation would build on the landmark Unsafe Handgun Act (UHA) and mark a major step forward in the effort to require firearms manufacturers to incorporate microstamping technology, which has long been a top priority for gun violence prevention advocates. Importantly, microstamping technology imprints unique markings—known as micro stamps—onto individual firearms as well as discharged bullet casings, thereby allowing law enforcement to connect fired casings to a particular firearm.
“For too long, gun manufacturers have prioritized ideology over safety and fought commonsense efforts to incorporate microstamping technology into new firearms,” said Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D – Woodland Hills), Co-Founder of the Legislature’s Gun Violence Prevention Working Group. “Our legislation will allow California to use its market power to overcome this obstinance and dramatically expand the use of this important technology. In so doing, we’ll create new markets for microstamped guns, help law enforcement solve violent crimes, ensure our police are equipped with better and safer firearms, and bring more accountability and transparency to situations where there has been an officer-involved shooting.”
“Microstamping is a commonsense, crime-solving tool,” said Assemblymember David Chiu (D-San Francisco). “I am proud to coauthor this effort to ensure this important technology is implemented across the board in California.”. (Gabriel, Chiu, Wicks)
These are the members of the Public Safety Committee. If they’re yours or you know their constituents, make sure a call goes to their offices before Tuesday.
INDIVISIBLE VENTURA 