In 1994, I faced a difficult decision: do the right thing and cast the deciding vote for the Federal Assault Weapons Ban — likely losing my congressional re-election in the process — or take the politically easy route and vote against it.
I voted for it. And to this day I stand by my position supporting commonsense, responsible gun safety legislation.
Now in the state of Washington, we all have a chance to do the right thing by supporting I-594, an initiative requiring criminal background checks for gun purchases in our state.
Passing I-594 won’t be easy. Our opponents are rallying to try to stop us, even going so far as to declare December 15 — one year and one day after the Sandy Hook massacre that left 20 people dead — “Guns Save Lives Day” in an effort to build opposition to sensible gun reform laws.
Look, we have plenty of responsible gun owners in Washington, and an overwhelming majority of them support criminal background checks because they’re responsible gun owners.
Not the sponsors of “Guns Save Lives Day.” There is nothing responsible about exploiting the death of innocent little children — even worse when it’s done to stop reforms that could prevent future tragedies. They should cancel this horrific excuse to celebrate guns, and stop spreading misinformation about responsible, reasonable reforms like I-594.
Responsible gun owners know there are sensible things we can do to keep guns out of the hands of people like Adam Lanza, and they’re eager to stop the next tragedy — not exploit the last one.
Thankfully, the Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility is leading the charge to fight back against “Guns Save Lives Day” — spearheading efforts to educate Washingtonians about I-594 and why it’s the right thing to do for Washington and our kids. I’m proud to join them, and I hope you’ll help out, too.
Thanks for your support.
Very truly yours,
Be a Seed for Change 