INDIVISIBLE Lambertville NJ / New Hope PA

Category: Call to Action

  • Going Gungho: Promoting Common Sense Gun Legislation

    Going Gungho: Promoting Common Sense Gun Legislation

    It is unconscionable that as a nation we’ve had to bear witness to yet another mass shooting. The Parkland shooting on Valentine’s Day at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School ranks among the top ten deadliest in U.S. history. The statistics are staggering: Three of the top five mass shootings have occurred in the last year and a half.

    By now, we know the background of the shooter. What remains unbelievable is that this young man was able to purchase an AR-15 rifle with which to carry out his crime. He is only 19. He had a record of mental disabilities. Yet, in Florida it is legal for him to purchase a rifle, but not a handgun. Florida does not require a permit, a license, nor even a three-day waiting period.

    Therein lies the rub. There are massive disparities between states where gun laws are concerned. As a nation we must work to close these gaps to ensure the safety and security of people in public or private venues against those who would seek to do harm using firearms.

    In this time of darkness, rage and grief, there is light. Students are rising up. They are organizing, staging lie-ins, walkouts and protests across the country. They have a hashtag, #NeverAgain.

    Read more: As much as there are those who would argue to the contrary, common sense gun legislation saves lives. Take time to check this Science Alert Columbia University Study on Mass Shootings

    CALL TO ACTION FEDERAL: Copy and paste the letter below to your U.S. Senators via their email or use Resistbot by texting “resist” to 50409. You can also call them. Tell them to Oppose CCR.
    Script: “Concealed carry reciprocity, the gun lobby’s top priority legislation, would weaken state gun laws and override the standards that states have set for who can carry hidden, loaded guns in public. Right now, each state has different standards for who can carry a concealed gun in public. CCR would force each state to accept the concealed carry standards of every other state, even states that have weak standards or no standards at all. Twelve states don’t require a permit or background check, while other states allow domestic abusers or people convicted of violent misdemeanors to concealed carry. As your constituent, I am asking you to oppose CCR S. 446.” (CCR passed the House (H.R. 38). Senate has not yet voted on its version of CCR (S. 446).)

    Pennsylvania U.S. Senators
    U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa.
    Call: 610-782-9470; 202-224-6324

    U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa.
    Call: 610-434-1444; 202-224-4254

    New Jersey U.S. Senators
    Cory A. Booker D-NJ
    Call: 202-224-3224

    Bob Menendez D-NJ
    Call: 202-224-4744

    CALL TO ACTION PENNSYLVANIA:Copy and paste the letter below to your State Senators via their email or use Resistbot by texting “resist” to 50409. You can also call them. Tell them to Support SB 501.
    Script: “Currently under PA law, an abuser subject to a final Protection from Abuse order need not relinquish firearms unless ordered by the court, and that happens in only 14 percent of cases. Abusers convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence are required to turn in their firearms but are given 60 days to do so. And current law permits abusers to choose the third party who will “safeguard” their firearms. SB 501 has bipartisan support and is widely backed by law enforcement. The bill requires dangerous domestic abusers to turn in firearms to law enforcement or licensed gun dealers within 48 hours of either a misdemeanor domestic violence conviction or being placed under a Final Protection from Abuse order. As your constituent, I am asking you to support SB501 and send it to the floor for a vote.” (SB 501 is currently held up in the Senate Judiciary Committee.)

    Sen. Alloway
    Call: (717) 787-4651

    Sen. Scarnati
    Call: (717) 787-7084

    Sen. Eichelberger
    Call: (717) 787-5490

    Sen. Gordner
    Call: (717) 787-8928

    Sen. Langerholc
    Call: (717) 787-5400

    Sen. Reschenthaler
    Call: (717) 787-5839
    Tweet him @PASenatorGuy

  • New Jersey Voter Registration Update

    Still hopeful that Gov. Phil Murphy will make New Jersey one of the first states to provide automatic voter registration, the ILNH N.J. Voter Mobilization Action Group will be working to get voters registered at community events in the spring and summer. The group will also be reaching out to rental properties to facilitate voter registration for new residents in town.

    Liz Glynn, a leader in both the ILNH Action Group and in NJ7 Forward, a grassroots organization that represents the interests of New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District, says that newly elected Gov. Murphy has pledged to make the Voter Modernization Act a priority.

    The act was vetoed by former Gov. Chris Christie after passing the state Legislature in 2015. Glynn is optimistic that an executive order by Gov. Murphy could now get the components of the Voter Modernization Act, also known as the Democracy Act, into place without going through the Legislature again. During his campaign, Murphy supported automatic voter registration, giving former felons the chance to re-register, and online voter registration. Murphy also supports early voting and allowing 17-year-olds to vote in primaries if they will be 18 by Election Day.

    To date, Gov. Murphy hasn’t taken action to join six other states that have online registration or to make the other aspects of the Voter Modernization Act a reality.

    Call Gov. Murphy’s office at (609) 292-6000 and urge him to take action to enact the Democracy Act.