According to media sources, the House of Representatives plans to vote on Wednesday on a 'terror gap' bill written by opponents of stronger gun violence prevention laws[i]. This bill does nothing to address the real terror plaguing our country - the terror inflicted on women by abusers with guns. Instead of voting on a messaging bill that is sure to fail, Congress needs to consider meaningful legislation to keep guns out of the hands of abusers!
Certain abusers in the United States are prohibited from owning firearms, but they can easily obtain firearms from private sellers who are not required to conduct background checks. To keep guns out of the wrong hands, Congress must vote on H.R.1217, a bipartisan bill that requires background checks for all gun sales!
Your Representative and Speaker Ryan need to hear from you! Contact them by WEDNESDAY MORNING, and tell them:
-
Approximately 1,000 women are killed annually by male intimate partners; most of them are killed with firearms
[ii];
- A survey by the National Domestic Violence Hotline found that 67% of respondents whose abusers owned firearms believed their abusers were capable of killing them[iii];
- Approximately 40% of firearm sales and transfers are completed without a background check[iv].
You can find your House member and his/her contact information at
www.house.gov
. You can find your Representative's Twitter handle
here
. Speaker Ryan's phone number is (202)225-0600, and his Twitter handle is @SpeakerRyan.
Sample phone/email scrip
t:
Hello, my name is [your name], and I am calling/writing from [your location and/or organization]. Domestic abusers are legally prohibited from owning firearms, but, due to gaps in current law, they can purchase guns from private sellers without a background check. In order to protect victims and survivors, the Congress needs to vote on and pass H.R.1217, a bipartisan bill requiring background checks for all gun sales.
Add your own story, if you have one.
Sample Tweet
: @[your Representative] Vote on H.R.1217 to require background checks to keep guns out of the hands of abusers! #DisarmHate #ProtectAllWomen
Sample Facebook Post
: [Your Representative], most domestic violence homicides are committed by abusers with guns, and guns are regularly used as a tool of terror, power and control. To keep guns out of the wrong hands, we must vote on H.R.1217, a bipartisan bill to require background checks for all gun sales.
[i]
This bill allows the Attorney General to block the sale of a firearm to a person on the terrorist watch list for 72 hours, in which time the FBI must prove that this person has definite plans to commit a terrorist act
