 Please Contact your U.S. Senator Immediately regarding Passage of Common Sense Gun Legislation
Dear Friends in Christ,
Yesterday the members of Bishops United had our monthly phone conference. Our discussion had a renewed sense of urgency because of the Orlando Shootings and renewed efforts to pass common sense gun legislation by member of the Senate.
If you haven't had a chance to keep up with recent developments, including Senator Christopher Murphy's 15-hour filibuster that stretched until about 2 am and produced an agreement to get gun violence prevention legislation onto the floor of the Senate click HERE to read a New York Times story with details.
This is perhaps the best opportunity we have had since the defeat of Mancin-Toomey to move gun violence prevention legislation forward a peg or two on the federal level. The horrific massacre in Orlando has changed the climate in which this legislation will be considered.
Today, I write you to ask to contact Senators Ron Johnson and Tammy Baldwin before Monday at noon asking them to support legislation that will
- Make it illegal for people convicted of violent hate crimes to buy or possess guns
- Make it illegal for suspected terrorists to legally buy guns
- Require a background check for every gun sale, no matter where you buy a gun or who you buy it from
In particular what we are asking is for Congress to pass what is being referred to as Brady Bill 2.0, (S 2934) which would require a background check for any gun purchase and S 551, which would prohibit individuals on the FBI's terror watch list from buying weapons. (The shorthand here is No Fly, No Buy.)
There are a number of ways to find your senators' contact information. Here, for instance, is a directory of phone numbers and links to email forms: http://www.senate.gov/senators/contact/
However, probably the best way to be in touch with senators is through the website of one of the large gun violence prevention groups such as:
Both of these pages provide a little coaching instructions for those who would find that helpful. One of the advantages of placing the call with the assistance of the Brady Campaign or Everytown websites is that they are able to estimate the volume of calls they have generated, and those numbers, if they are large enough, can help to change wavering senators' minds. Additionally, you can sign up for text alerts so you know when it might be helpful to make another call.
If you find that a senator's voice mail or inbox is full, you can fax them at: https://faxzero.com/fax_senate.php. You can call one of the senator's offices in your state during office hours.
One important point: it doesn't matter whether you already know how your senator is going to vote on these bills. Volume is important. So please be in touch with those who are co-sponsoring the bills (to thank them) and those who will never vote for it (just so they will know you are out there).
Thank you for joining me in this important work.
Yours in Christ,
The Rt. Rev. Steven A. Miller
Bishop of Milwaukee
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