ACTION #1: Wear ORANGE this today and this weekend!
- Wear Orange: On June 2, 2023 and all this weekend, wear or hold anything Orange (a pin, a scarf, an orange, or be creative and hold up any Orange item in your home that strikes your fancy), take a selfie and share it via social media with the hashtag #WearOrange.
- Create a “Wear Orange” image!
- Post to your social media!
- Make a dedication: One of the most powerful parts of the campaign are the online dedications users post to share why they’re taking part. Examples include: “Today, I will #WearOrange…”
- “in honor of my beloved child, [XXX].”
- “because I’m a hunter, and I know gun safety saves lives.”
- “because organizations like [xxx] continue to make a difference and reduce gun violence in my community every day”
- Make a dedication: One of the most powerful parts of the campaign are the online dedications users post to share why they’re taking part. Examples include: “Today, I will #WearOrange…”
- Download a video background!
- Print a poster!
- Color some pages!
ACTION #2: Help remove Rep. Mike Garcia (CA-27) – one of the largest recipients of NRA funds in the House of Representatives.
GOP legislators, by their actions to obstruct sensible gun laws the majority of Americans want, and their supporting votes for NRA-friendly judges, bear a lot of the blame for the war-zone we live in.
Yeah, it’s just them…
Their career contributions to deaths in their states have been calculated out at dollars per death.
Since our senators in CA are both Democrats, we look to our congress members to see who is cooperating with this agent of corruption and death. Hey, look! There’s Rep. Mike Garcia, (CA-27) tied for second-place with Steve Scalise.
Sunday ONLINE PHONEBANKS with Field Team 6 – “Register Democrats in CA’s 27 District – 6/04, 6/11, 6/18, 6/25, 7/02, 7/9, 7/16, 7/23, 7/30, 8/06, 8/13, 8/20, 8/27, 9/03, 9/10, 9/17, 9/24 (All dates: 2:30-4:30)
Join Field Team 6 in calling eligible voters (likely Dems) in Californa’s 27th district! (Formerly CA-25! You’ll be targeting Mike Garcia, a traitorous Republican who voted to overturn the Biden election results.
You’ll be reaching out to get people registered as Democrats, or signed up to vote from home (vote by mail) if they’re already registered.
Making sure people are registered to vote, and that they can vote safely from home, is a super-effective way to make a difference. In 2024, we can flip this seat back to a Democrat.
But we need your help. Join us as we turn voices into votes! All training provided!
Mobilize link: https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/376397/
ACTION #3: Call your legislators and THANK them for doing the right thing!
- H.R. 698/ S.25 – Assault Weapon Ban of 2023: Sen. Feinstein has again sponsored a repeat of her original 1994 ban. The new version similarly bans new assault weaponry and large capacity ammunition feeding devices and grandfathers in existing weapon ownership.
- HR 660/S 173 Ethan’s Law – would require safe storage solutions to prevent children from accessing firearms. According to the Trace: “Our analysis found that between May 1, 2022, and April 30, 2023, there were at least 162 incidents in which a child under 13 picked up a gun and fired it, inadvertently wounding or killing themselves or another child under 13. A total of 71 children were killed and 96 were injured.” States with weak or non-existent storage laws have the highest number of dead kids.
Minimal script for CA Senator Dianne Feinstein: I’m calling from [zip code] and I want to thank Sen. [___] for her sponsorship of S.25 – Assault Weapon Ban of 2023 and her co-sponsorship of S.173 – Ethan’s Law.
Minimal script for CA Senator Alex Padilla: I’m calling from [zip code] and I want to thank Sen. [___] for his co-sponsorship of S.25 – Assault Weapon Ban of 2023 and S.173 – Ethan’s Law.
Minimal script for CA Reps. Brownley and Carbajal: I’m calling from [zip code] and I want to thank Rep. [___] for [her/his] cosponsorship of H.R. 698 – Assault Weapon Ban of 2023 and H.R. 660 – Ethan’s Law.
Contacts
Various resources we’ve been collecting.
- Reading: What did the founding fathers really say about guns?
- Reading: Historian Uncovers The Racist Roots Of The 2nd Amendment
- Reading: Missouri votes against banning children from carrying guns in public
What is more American than mixing an all-American kids’ activity with terror?
North Carolina
South Carolina
Now for some free-verse…
A poem on stochastic terrorism by Jeff Tiedrich on the occasion of a gunman killing eight people and wounding 7 others in a suburban Dallas shopping mall, one of many mass killers who expressed violent and hateful views prior to their crime.
The right-wing hate machine created a monster and handed him a weapon of mass death
they taught him well and then they set him loosethey taught him well.
they put weapons in the hands of their own children and posed for Christmas cards.
they ran campaign ads in which they “hunted” their opponents.
they opened gun-themed restaurants.
they fell all over themselves to see who could pose with the biggest gun.
they did ridiculous gun-related political stunts.
they told him to be afraid.
they told him that his enemies were everywhere.
they told him to be vigilant and ever-watchful.
they told him that Democrats were the problem.
they told him that the media was the problem.
they told him that women were the problem.
they told him that minorities were the problem.
they told him that immigrants were the problem.
they told him that gays were the problem.
they told him that trans people were the problem.
they told him that Jews were the problem.
they told him that drag performers were the problem.
they told him that teachers were the problem.
they created algorithms and media outlets that fed him a steady diet of hate.
they created a culture where guns meant might, right, and manliness.
they repealed laws that impeded easy access to weapons of mass death.
they voted down money for mental health programs.
and they never stopped reminding him that guns were the answer to his problems.
and now that the awful deed is done, and we’re learning more about the shooter and his beliefs, the right-wing ecosystem of hatred that created him want to pretend they had nothing to do with it.
they want to pretend that their hands are clean.
they want to pretend that this is just one of those random things that happened, that nobody could have predicted it, that no one could have stopped it, and that nothing can be done to prevent it from happening again. I mean, whatcha gonna do?
they want to move on.
fuck you.
the blood is all over your hands.
and you’re not fooling anyone but yourselves.
we see you.
Thompson Releases Statement on Republicans Refusing to Save Lives
March 28, 2023
Press Release Today, Chair of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task ForceRep. Mike Thompson (CA-04) highlighted how Republicans are refusing to take gun violence prevention seriously in the wake of yet another school shooting.
“There have been 130 mass shootings this year. After most, we hear silence from extremist Republicans, but after the Nashville school shooting, we got a mix of thoughts, prayers and deflection,” said Thompson. “Instead of getting serious about taking on the gun violence epidemic that kills over 130 Americans every day, they are trying to deflect and distract from their lack of action on this issue. How many more kids need to get murdered before House Republican Leadership steps up and puts gun violence prevention legislation on the House calendar? Protecting children doesn’t mean banning books, it means stopping dangerous people from possessing firearms. My Bipartisan Background Checks Act is supported by the overwhelming majority of the American people, and it is the most effective thing we can do to reduce gun violence.”
After the horrible tragedy in Nashville, Republicans are offering everything except serious solutions to keep kids safe.
Senator Rick Scott (R-FL): “We need to consider an automatic death penalty for school shooters.” (Active shooters are very likelyto be shot by the police or kill themselves.)
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN): “We’re not going to fix it…I don’t see any real role that we could do other than mess things up.”
Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN): “Ultimately I think what this does is highlight some of the mental health issues, the mental health crisis we have in this country that needs to be the real conversation we’re having right now.”
193 House Republicans voted against the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which provides over $2.35 billion to expand vital school mental health services and improve learning environments. This is the most significant gun violence prevention law passed in 30 years.
202 House Republicans voted against the Bipartisan Background Checks Act, which helps keep guns out hands of people who are a danger to themselves or others. Senate Republicans have blocked background checks from even getting a vote.
201 House Republicans voted against a red flag bill that would create a federal procedure for law enforcement to intervene and prohibit people who are a danger to themselves or others from possessing a firearm. Tennessee does not have a state red flag or extreme risk protection order law.
210 House Republicans voted against the American Rescue Plan, which provided $12 billion to address mental health needs arising from the pandemic.
196 House Republicans voted against going after gun traffickers, which flood our communities with firearms used by criminals.
193 House Republicans voted against cracking down on the spread of ghost guns which are used by criminals and minors because they can be bought without a background check before President Biden took action to close that loophole through executive action.
INDIVISIBLE VENTURA 