Tag Archives: National Rifle Association

Jordan Russell Davis didn’t have to die.

A 17 year-old Black teenager was shot in a Jacksonville convenience store parking lot after a dispute over loud music.¹ He died in his friend’s arms. The shooter, Michael David Dunn, has pleaded “Not Guilty” and is expected to invoke Florida‘s “Shoot First” law, claiming the killing was a justifiable homicide.²

Nearly 33,000 ColorOfChange members took action earlier this year and told their state government officials to fight back against “Shoot First” laws. Please add your voice today and when you do, ask your friends and family to do the same.

“Shoot First” laws, sometimes called “Stand Your Ground” laws, were thrust into the national spotlight following the killing of Trayvon Martin. Unless these laws are repealed, our communities will continue to lose our young people to avoidable tragedies.

“Stand Your Ground” laws have proliferated around the country thanks to the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and its deep-pocketed supporters at the National Rifle Association (NRA). Half of the members of Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” task force, charged with reviewing the state’s law in the aftermath of the Martin killing, are ALEC members.³ Unsurprisingly, that task force recently found no problem with “Stand Your Ground” despite clear and compelling evidence that the law is racially discriminatory. “Homicides involving white shooters and Black victims are 11 times more likely to be deemed “justifiable” than those where the scenario is reversed.”⁴

Below is our original outreach calling on state government officials to oppose “Shoot First” laws where they are under consideration and repeal them where they are in place. Join nearly 33,000 ColorOfChange members and fight back today.

Thanks and peace,

— Rashad, Matt, Arisha, Kim, Johnny, Charlene and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
December 1st, 2012

1. “The Killing of Jordan Russell Davis,” The Atlantic, 11-28-2012
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1974?t=4&akid=2727.1174326.zaXTMZ

2. “Black teen’s shooting revives ‘Stand Your Ground’ debate,” MSNBC, 11-28-2012
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1975?t=6&akid=2727.1174326.zaXTMZ

3. “Half The Lawmakers On Florida ‘Stand Your Ground’ Task Force Are ALEC Members, All Supported Stand Your Ground,” Think Progress, 04-20-2012
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1976?t=8&akid=2727.1174326.zaXTMZ

4. “8 Months After Trayvon: “Stand Your Ground” Law Deemed Just Fine by Florida,” Mother Jones, 11-16-2012
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1977?t=10&akid=2727.1174326.zaXTMZ

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

‘Shoot First’ laws protected Trayvon’s killer … Rashad Robinson, ColorOfChange.org – In memory – Black History

02/26/2023 Nativegrl77

Florida‘s ‘Shoot First’ law allowed Trayvon Martin’s killer to walk free without formal charges — for more than a month. Shoot First laws legalize vigilante homicide, even in circumstances that would otherwise merit murder charges.¹ In Trayvon’s case, local law enforcement hid behind the Shoot First law as justification for failing to arrest George Zimmerman, saying that his claim of self-defense stopped them from pursuing even manslaughter charges.²

Florida’s dangerous Shoot First law was spread to many other states across the country by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). Please join us in calling on our elected officials nationwide to take a stand against the shoot first agenda. It only takes a moment:

http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/Trayvon_ALEC

In 2005, Florida passed the nation’s first ‘Shoot First’ law using model legislation created by the National Rifle Association (NRA).³ The NRA leveraged its key membership in the corporate-funded American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) to push this agenda in communities across the country. ALEC has also pushed legislation to expand private prisons, impose harsher criminal penalties on juveniles, privatize education, and break unions.

ALEC is funded in part by the multibillionaire Koch brothers,⁴ the same family that helps to bankroll the reactionary Tea Party. It also receives funding from large corporations, many of which are household names. Nearly 100,000 ColorOfChange members have demanded that such companies break from ALEC over its championing of voter suppression laws that threaten Black folks’ ability to participate fully as citizens in our democracy.⁵ ALEC’s shoot first laws threaten our basic ability to walk in our own neighborhoods without fear that our lives can be taken by unaccountable vigilantes.

Even with Shoot First on the books, Florida authorities should have arrested Trayvon’s killer.⁶ Yet, Shoot First gives police and prosecutors cover to incentivize bad police work, leading to incomplete investigations and a failure to prosecute homicides. Shoot First laws present a grave threat to public safety, and particularly to young Black males, who are nearly five times more likely to be victims of fatal shootings. With the criminal justice system already stacked against Black victims and defendants,⁷ and with the prevalence of racial profiling in a culture that treats people of color as criminals, our families and communities will continue to pay a heavy price for these laws.

Trayvon’s entirely avoidable death shined a spotlight on ALEC’s reckless push to enact deadly Shoot First laws across the nation.⁸ Shortly after, ALEC began to buckle under the public scrunity and attempted to salvage its public image. The group responded by disbanding its Public Safety and Elections Task Force, claiming that gun issues were no longer a priority. This move was quickly revealed as a PR stunt after the Public Safety Task Force chair, Republican State Rep. Jerry Madden of Texas, said that “many of the issues will be transferred to other committees.⁹” When asked during a later interview, Rep. Madden refused to commit to taking Shoot First laws off the table.¹⁰

Shoot First is now the law of the land in at least 25 states, and at least six others have considered such legislation in 2012.¹¹ So long as these laws exist — and ALEC’s efforts to spread them go unchecked — this won’t be the last time we bear witness to racial profiling ending in senseless violence. Please click the link below to help prevent future tragedies like Trayvon’s, and please ask your friends and family to do the same:

http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/Trayvon_ALEC

Thanks and Peace,

— Rashad, Gabriel, Dani, Matt, Natasha, Kim, Arisha, Kira, and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team May 24th, 2012

Help support our work. ColorOfChange.org is powered by YOU—your energy and dollars. We take no money from lobbyists or large corporations that don’t share our values, and our tiny staff ensures your contributions go a long way. You can contribute here:

http://act.colorofchange.org/go/205?t=6&akid=2503.1174326.w9kISx

References

1. “Broward murder suspect wins Stand Your Ground decision,” Sun Sentinel, 12-12-2011 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1272?t=8&akid=2503.1174326.w9kISx

2. “Police: No Grounds For Arrest In Trayvon Martin Death,” WESH Orlando, 03-16-2012 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1227?t=10&akid=2503.1174326.w9kISx

3. “The Money Trail Behind Florida’s Notorious Gun Law,” Mother Jones, 03-29-2012 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1399?t=12&akid=2503.1174326.w9kISx

4. “ALEC Exposed: The Koch Connection,” The Nation, 07-12-2011 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1276?t=14&akid=2503.1174326.w9kISx

5. “Stop corporate-funded voter suppression,” ColorOfChange campaign, 12-08-2011 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1275?t=16&akid=2503.1174326.w9kISx

6. “Gun Violence Facts by Race/Ethnicity: Overview,” Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1265?t=18&akid=2503.1174326.w9kISx

7. “1 in 3 Black Men Go To Prison? The 10 Most Disturbing Facts About Racial Inequality in the U.S. Criminal Justice System,” AlterNet, 03-17-2012 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1400?t=20&akid=2503.1174326.w9kISx

8. “Chuck Todd Takes ‘Deep Dive’ Into How NRA, ALEC Pushed ‘Kill At Will’ Laws,” MSNBC’s The Daily Rundown, 03-29-2012 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1264?t=22&akid=2503.1174326.w9kISx

9. “ALEC leader admits last week’s announcement was a PR stunt,” ColorOfChange blog, 04-24-12 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1402?t=24&akid=2503.1174326.w9kISx

10. “Disbanded ALEC Task Force Chair: Gun and Voter Issues No Longer Priority,” Media Matters, 04-26-12 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1403?t=26&akid=2503.1174326.w9kISx

11. “Trayvon Martin: A Victim of Florida’s Gun Laws?,” Legal Community Against Violence, 03-20-2012 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1262?t=28&akid=2503.1174326.w9kISx

~ my 2cents ...

in the pursuit of change … GUN REFORM

12/06/2017 Nativegrl77 3 Comments

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.

–Edmund Burke

repost …

another day another shooting!!!

we need folks to push for Gun Reform

As more Americans watch, wait and wonder when Congress will take a stand on gun control, more say there is absolutely no reason a civilian should own or have access to an assault weapon. The fact is assault weapons; the standard infantry combat choice for most modern armies has no place in a civil society. Police already have trouble protecting and serving our communities against illegal (hand) guns, legislation that broadly regulates the firearms industry (ammunition) and firearms owners let alone automatic weapons solely made and meant to kill people quickly.

We have also been asking for some time now, at what point will our (rational, sane & educated) members of Congress, the firearm industry(ammunition) and gun owners stand up speak up or out over the current stalemate to move gun laws into the 21st Century. The NRA has clung on to power by holding an archaic law over the heads of Americans, as well as being a thorn in all our sides, spending millions lobbying for gun rights while controlling votes in Congress.

The Second Amendment, states: “A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a Free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

Is it possible that this amendment is in dire need of a revaluation for the lives of our citizens in this 21st Century with all the new guns& weapons now available.

In 1994, Congress added a background check system to strengthen our existing laws to keep guns out of the hands of felons, drug abusers, and the mentally ill.

In 2004, Congress let the assault weapons ban expire. It is time to recognize and change the flaws in the background check system that have been exposed again and again over the years, in the massacres at Columbine, Virginia Tech, Arizona, Michigan, Washington state ,Colorado, Indiana, Portland, China, Chicago, Newtown CT,DC ,LAX airport, families all over this country, Young Black Males and some White males

If not now when, is a good question.

written 7/26/12

~ my 2cents ...

If not now, When?

08/04/2016 Nativegrl77 5 Comments

just another rant …

and a question for Bernie Sanders and his supporters … at what point will you all say enough is enough?

The months wear on but most have NOT forgotten Newtown …

They say there are more deaths from hand guns, yet another massacre has taken place … can we just ban automatic weapons

Tell your Democratic or Republican member of Congress that the time has come for #GunSafety #GunReform #UniversalBackgroundChecks

People on the far left say they are progressive but i missed that enthusiasm for trying to do something progress like wanting to make folks accountable,change or reform the archaic laws on the books regarding guns which should be updated to meet our 21st Century lives … where are they?

I am against handguns … period. The incidents my family, friends even some co-workers have experienced have molded my attitude over the years, and a narrow escape or two of my own. The thought of a teacher being responsible for having or being forced to keep a handgun or anything larger in the classroom just does not make sense.

As more Americans watch, wait and wonder when Congress will take a stand on gun control, more say there is absolutely no reason a civilian should own or have access to an assault weapon. The fact is assault weapons, the standard infantry combat choice for most modern armies has no place in a civil society. Police already have trouble protecting and serving our communities against illegal guns, legislation that broadly regulates the firearms industry and firearms owners let alone automatic weapons solely made and meant to kill people quickly.

At what point will our members of Congress, the firearm industry and owners stand up speak up or out over the current stalemate to move gun laws into the 21st Century. The NRA has been a thorn in all our sides, spending millions lobbying for gun rights while controlling votes in Congress. The Second Amendment, states: “A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a Free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” I have to say, who doesn’t believe this amendment is in dire need of revaluation for the lives of our citizens.

In 1994, Congress added a background check system to strengthen our existing laws to keep guns out of the hands of felons, drug abusers, and the mentally ill. In 2004, Congress let the assault weapons ban expire. It is time to recognize and change the flaws in the background check system that have enabled folks to arrange hits, commit heinous crimes, violent deaths or massacres like Columbine, Virginia Tech, Arizona, Michigan, Washington state Colorado, Chicago , Texas, Santa Monica,DC,Illinois,Ohio,NY,San Bernardino, Missouri,Baltimore,Minnesota

If not now, when is a good question.

written 4/2013

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

It’s in the numbers

11/09/2013 Nativegrl77


	It’s all about numbers. Elections may seem complicated, but they’re really just a simple math problem. We know 80% of Washington voters support making our state safer by extending criminal background checks to all gun purchases. We’re going to need 50% + 1 of the votes next year for something called I-594. Slam dunk, right? Not so fast. We also know our opponents will do everything they can to scare and confuse voters. To make criminal background checks a reality, we need to reach out to millions of voters to let them know what I-594 will do — and to defeat the scare tactics and misinformation the gun lobby will use to intimidate folks into voting against a measure that even gun owners overwhelmingly support. That takes a lot of work, a lot of planning, and a lot of support from thousands of committed people just like you. Thanks to the generous support of more than 2,500 donors we are in good shape — but to keep on track, we need 594 more to stand up for a safer Washi‌ngton by Novem‌ber 22. We’ve set a goal of recruiting 594 donors by November 22 — click here to contribute $3, and help ensure that we have the resources to make Washington safer! 594 donors by 11/22/2013 to help us get 1,600,000 votes in 2014. Those are the kind of numbers we’re dealing with — and we need your help to get there. Thanks in advance! Zach Silk WA Alliance for Gun Responsibility