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-----Original Message-----
From: Becky Bond, CREDO Action <[log in to unmask]>
To: Richard Lowe <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tue, Dec 18, 2012 10:40 am
Subject: The NRA
Tell the NRA to stand downThe petition reads: "In
the wake of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School, the NRA must
stand down and allow Congress and thePresident to pass gun control
legislation." Automatically add your name:Dear Richard,"Teachers stand
up to gunmen, but Congress won't stand up to the NRA." That's what one
of the signs read when hundreds ofpeople joined CREDO's Emergency March
on the NRA in Washington, DC.After the shooter Adam Lanza, no one is
more to blame for the massacre of 20 first graders and six adults at
the Sandy HookElementary School than the National Rifle Association. In
order to stop the senseless killing we must first stop the NRA.The
National Rifle Association is a powerful lobby that pretends to
represent gun owners. But in reality, it represents thedeadly interests
of arms dealers and gun manufacturers.1 And it has been astonishingly
successful at blockingregulations that would keep our children safe
from gun violence.2Tell the NRA to stand down,and allow Congress and
the President to pass gun control legislation. Click here to sign
automatically.In the wake of the Sandy Hook massacre, CREDO organized
hundreds of people to march on the National Rifle Association's
lobbyingoffice. An action described by The New York Times as a
"protest in Washington on Monday against the National RifleAssociation,
which has virtually unmatched ferocity in advancing its political and
legislative interests."3 Wechanted "Shame on the NRA!" and delivered
one simple demand: Stand down and let us pass gun control.Most NRA
members are unaware of the organization's extreme stances that have
blocked the passage of any major piece of gunlegislation in nearly two
decades.4
Through lobbying, campaign spending, and inciting a paranoia about
government among a radical fringe in their membership,the NRA has
helped defeat common sense gun measures that polls show an overwhelming
majority of gun owners support.5The NRA has successfully blocked
efforts to limit the ability to purchase military-style semi-automatic
assault rifles andhigh capacity ammunition clips.6The NRA has
successfully blocked efforts to restrict weapons sales to individuals
on the U.S. terrorism watch list.7The NRA successfully defeated the
U.N. Arms Trade Treaty which would have required countries exporting
conventional weaponsto certify that they weren't being shipped to a
terrorist group or a nation under a U.N. arms embargo like North Korea
orIran.8It's time to end the tyrannyof guns. Tell the NRA to stand
down, and allow Congress and the President to pass gun control
legislation. Click here tosign automatically.In the wake of the Sandy
Hook Elementary School massacre there is momentum in Washington, DC to
pass commonsense federalreforms including ensuring that a background
check is conducted whenever a gun is sold, banning the sales of
military-styleassault weapons and high capacity ammunition magazines,
and making arms trafficking a federal crime.
As Senator Manchin's former Chief of Staff explained in the Huffington
Post, "Unlike some interest groups, where it is moneythat creates
influence, here it is more the threat of response... The idea is that
if you come out for any type of gun control,any type of common-sense
reform, they are going to come after you, especially if you are a
red-state Democrat. And they willpaint you with a broad brush as being
anti-gun."9After the massacre not a single one of the 31 senators who
received an A grade from the NRA would agree to appear on
theinfluential Sunday morning talk show, Meet the Press. But then Sen.
Joe Manchin, a stalwart NRA supporter, said that"the massacre of so
many innocent children has changed — has changed America" and that gun
control should be up fordebate.This is a rare moment where change is
possible. We need to prove ourselves worthy of this moment. In his
address to the nation,President Obama vowed "to take meaningful
action."10 We will hold him accountable for sending legislation to
CapitolHill to address the crisis of gun violence in this country. But
Congress, which for decades has bowed to self-interest whencalled to
courage on the issue of guns, is not likely to pass any bill proposed
by the White House if we don't stand up andforce the NRA to stand
down.Tell the NRA to stand down, and allow Congress and the President
to pass gun control legislation. Click the link belowto automatically
sign the petition:
http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6993919&p=nra_stand_down&id=52253-3793227-Bu9jR%3Dx&t=5Together,
we can make this happen.Becky Bond, Campaign Manager
CREDO Action from Working AssetsAutomatically add your name:Learn more
about this campaign1. Lee Fang, "Does the NRA Represent Gun
Manufacturersor Gun Owners?." The Nation, 12-14-12.
2. Ed Pilkington, "NRA: 10 ways it has weakenedgun-control laws in the
US." The Guardian, 04-13-12.
3. Silent Since Shootings, N.R.A. Could Face Challenge to Political
Power, New York Times, 12/18/12.
4. Gail Collins, "Guns and the Slog." New YorkTimes,
06-20-2012.5. ibid
6. Ed Pilkington, "NRA: 10 ways it has weakenedgun-control laws in the
US." The Guardian, 04-13-12.
7. William Brangham, "On terrorist watch list,but allowed to buy
guns." PBS, 04-28-11.
8. Ed Pilkington, "NRA: 10 ways it has weakenedgun-control laws in the
US." The Guardian, 04-13-12.
9. Sam Stein and Paul Blumenthal, "The Gun Lobby:Why The NRA Is The
Baddest Force In Politics." Huffington Post, 12/17/12.
10. Devin Dwyer, "Obama Ready for 'Meaningful Action'on Gun
Control." ABC News, 12-15-12.Share on Facebook
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