Two things have just occurred…
- March for Our Lives: “The Supreme Court just ruled 6-3 in favor of the gun lobby in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen, an extreme and dangerous expansion of the second amendment that elevates the right to carry guns over every other right. This ruling reverses critical gun safety legislation in New York and will cause similar gun safety laws in seven other states to fall as well. Americans will die as a result of this decision. By overturning New York’s common sense gun law on concealed carry, the Court is stripping states of the ability to protect their citizens from gun violence. This is not about responsible gun ownership, but universal gun ownership. We have seen what happens when states do not act to limit carrying guns in public spaces. We must fight now more than ever for our right to not be shot.” Stay tuned for an action! This will affect laws in a number of states, including CA.
- Note: If the GOP retakes Congress, they will pass H.R.6248 – Stand Your Ground Act (Gaetz) – Florida’s get-away-with-murder legislation, on a nationwide basis, allowing daily executions of minorities and others on our streets by vigilantes who will be well-armed with concealed weapons.
- Bipartisan Safer Communities Act: Sen. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell “found” a bare number of GOP deadwood, who are either retiring or not up for reelection until 2026, to vote for an extremely modest gun bill – The “Bipartisan Safer Communities Act” includes funding for mental health, school safety, crisis intervention programs and incentives for states to include juvenile records in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. It closes the “Boyfriend Loophole” and requires more gun sellers to register as Federally Licensed Firearm dealers. (What’s in the bill?)
Action #1: Program your phone. Help your friends and relatives in RED states program theirs. Commit to calling your legislators. Every damn day.
Why in the world would I do that? Indivisible has, since its inception, adopted the tactics of the Tea Party – the group of hyper-conservative voters who worked together to call their legislators every day. Like a form of water torture – short calls from constituents, over and over, make legislators, who just want to be reelected, very worried.
Calling legislators works! There are lots of quotes regarding their phone call tallies whenever a sticky issue comes up, like for this Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. (which just passed both houses, BTW.)
- Earlier, we pointed out that Wyoming Sen. Cynthia Loomis, recipient of a “lifetime A plus rating” from the National Rifle Association, had, due to her office being flooded with calls from constituents wanting legislation to stop the spate of mass shootings across the country, actually publicly stated interest in red flag laws, mental health programs, school security and opening juvenile criminal records to gun background checks. However, she now informs us that calls, undoubted organized by pro-GOP and NRA groups, have now turned “massively” against the pending deal.
- Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), who voted against advancing the deal Tuesday, summarized the message he has gotten from voters as: “Stand tall. … Don’t give up, don’t give any room on the Second Amendment.”
- Todd C. Young (R-Ind.) unopposed from a May 3 primary commented “The calls are about 10-to-1 in my office — 10 in favor of reasonable prohibitions.”
We can change their calls! Do a NAACP “Power of 5”-style phone campaign!:
- Reach out to five voters you know in RED states and teach them how to program their phones and call their legislators. Reach out an encourage them as they get used to making calls.
- Then ask each of them to do the same with five of their friends and relatives. Build a phone tree or resistance that rings the phones off GOP legislators’ desks.
Action #2 – STATE: Brady bills are now passing through the opposite chamber. Encourage your state legislators to vote for them. (UPDATE – ADD NEWSOM TO YOUR CALL LIST!)
This is a constantly updating list. Bills are being passed onto Newsom’s desk. Now we need him to sign them.
Minimal call script to Governor Newsom: I’m a CA resident and I want Governor Newsom to sign the following bills into law to reduce gun violence. Are you ready to take down a list? (just read the black lettering)
- AB 2156 – Firearm Manufacturing –(Closes loopholes that currently allow individuals and corporations to manufacture large numbers of firearms without complying with standard manufacturer requirements.)
- AB-1769 – Firearms: prohibited places. Stops sales of firearm, firearm precursor part, or ammunition on the property or in the buildings that comprise the VENTURA COUNTY Fair and Event Center, in Ventura & Ventura county)
- AB 2239 – 10-Year Gun Ban Expansion– This bill adds additional misdemeanors to the list of crimes for which the 10-year ban from owning or possessing firearms applies.
NOW LAW! AB-1621 – Firearms: unserialized firearms.
(* – final votes happening soon!)
Minimal call script to senators: I’m calling from [zip code] and I want Assemblymember [___] to support:
- *AB-452 – Pupil safety: parental notification: firearm safety laws. (school notice of safe storage laws)
- AB-2552 – Firearms: gun shows and events. ((gun show oversight)
Minimal call script to assemblymembers: I’m calling from [zip code] and I want Assemblymember [___] to support (just read the black lettering)*SB-1384 – Firearms: dealer requirements. (gun dealer code of conduct – 3rd reading)
State Contacts
- Governor Gavin Newsom: email, (916) 445-2841
- State Senator Monique Limón (SD-19): sd19.senate.ca.gov/contact, SAC (916) 651-4019, SB (805) 965-0862, OX (805)988-1940
- State Senator Henry Stern (SD-27): sd27.senate.ca.gov/contact, SAC (916) 651-2027, Calabasas (818) 876-3352
- State Assemblymember Steve Bennett: (CA-37): https://a37.asmdc.org/contact, SAC (916) 319-2037, SB (805) 564-1649, VTA (805) 641-370
- State Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin: (CA-44): https://a44.asmdc.org, SAC (916) 319-2044, CAM (805) 482-1904, OX (805) 483-4488
- Not your people? Which assemblymember/state senator is mine?:findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov.
Action #3 – FEDERAL: Tell your legislators we expect substantive change.
Update:
Federal Contacts
- Rep. Julia Brownley (CA-26): email, DC (202) 225-5811, Oxnard (805) 379-1779, T.O. (805) 379-1779
- or Rep. Salud Carbajal (CA-24): email. DC (202) 225-3601, SB (805) 730-1710 SLO (805) 546-8348
- 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
Wait a minute…Why am I calling? My legislators are Democrats!
- Why do we need to call? Why do we need to call every day?”
- Answer: People who agree with your viewpoint are NOT the only ones calling. People who disagree with you will be calling every day too. Multiple times. Our legislators keep tallies of the calls. We want them to know what we think, and to tell their colleagues that they have a HUGE number of calls on a particular bill with our point of view. Being the majority is our super power. Plus, sometimes a “Democratic” legislator surprises us. (Cough, cough, Sinema) Never assume anything.
- “Why do I need to call? Why not emails, those nifty new fax services or those bot thingies?”
- Answer: Calls are answered by live people and their tally is immediate. Other methods require someone to read through your message and tally it. Later. Maybe. After face-to-face meetings and town halls, phone calls are our most powerful option.
- “Why just my own legislators? Why can’t I call all the GOP legislators who are voting for horrible bills?”
- Answer: There are two forms of power for politicians. Money and votes. Unless you can offer a substantial donation to their re-election campaigns, the only thing you’ve got is your vote. And if it’s not your own senator, you don’t even have that. Their interns on the phone will be very nice, but they will not tally your calls or email.
- “But our people aren’t on the committee that’s working on a bill I’m interested in. Logically, don’t those legislators who are on the committee have to represent us too?”
- Answer: No. No, they don’t. (Unless you are giving them a huge campaign donation. See above.) Try this thought experiment… Do you see Mitch McConnell really trying to fairly represent the wishes of progressive Californians while he sits in committees? No, neither do we. While the bill is being kicked around in the committee, start calling your own legislators to tell them what you’d like them to do if or when it hits the floor for a full vote.
- “So how do we reach those legislators in other areas?”
- Answer: Through your family and friends who live in their states. Help them program their phones with their 5 legislator contacts and teach them how to make fast calls. Keep in touch and make sure that they are confirmed to vote, especially in red states.
- OK, so what do I do? What do I say?
- We provide sample scripts with every call action. You only have to tell the intern who answers the phone what position you want the legislator to take. You don’t have to lecture or argue with them. They are just taking a tally. The formula is easy.
- 1. Be nice and say “hello.’ The interns who answer the phones have a hard job. We always try to find out their names, so we can greet them when we call again.
- 2. “I’m calling from [zip code] – this establishes that their boss is responsible to you.
- 3. “I would like Sen/Rep./Assemblymember/etc. [name] to vote [YES, NO] on [Bill name, number].”
- or “I would like Sen/Rep./Assemblymember/etc. [name] to vote [PASS, VOTE AGAINST] [describe
- legislation]”
- We provide sample scripts with every call action. You only have to tell the intern who answers the phone what position you want the legislator to take. You don’t have to lecture or argue with them. They are just taking a tally. The formula is easy.
- DONE! This usually only takes about 10 minutes to do a round of these phone calls. Try to talk to an actual person instead of leaving a message by trying different offices.
- More personal, more effort = more effect. Aside from in-person meetings at town halls and so forth, phone calls are the most effective form of communicating with your members of Congress. Phone calls can’t be ignored. Emails, and social-media posts, and petitions can be ignored. Letters – also a lot of effort, especially those with personal stories the legislator can share, are powerful tools as well. Feel free to write/email/post on social media, but only if you make a phone call as well.
Resources
- (NAACP) Gun Violence Prevention Issue Brief
- (Brady) The Brady Plan – A Comprehensive Approach to Prevent Gun Violence
- (MFOL) It Ends With Us – A Plan to Reinmagine Public Safety
- (DavidHogg) Mass shootings can be stopped only if we work together. Americans can stop the violence and it starts by joining one of 450 marches nationwide
- (Black2thefuture) Roadmap 2022 – A Black, Progressive Policy Brief
- (indivisibleventura) “‘No Way To Prevent This,’ Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens.”
- (indivisibleventura) Gun violence is a national health emergency. Ask Biden and our legislators to treat it that way.
INDIVISIBLE VENTURA 