Throughout the weekend, gun safety advocates #WearOrange to raise awareness and call for an end to gun violence. This year’s National Gun Violence Awareness Day (June 3) comes at a poignant time -- while the gun violence epidemic continues to claim innocent lives. We need to elect leaders who will make real change -- and replace leaders who refuse to.
Our Lt. Governor, Mark Robinson, spoke at the NRA Convention that followed the tragic school shooting in Uvalde, Texas on May 24. BCDP and NCDP encourage you to write him a letter and demand to know why he and the NCGOP are more beholden to the gun lobby than to protecting children.
Here is a sample letter. We invite you to copy and paste the letter into your own google document or word document, edit it to be personal to you, and send it to his Constituent Services email at mary.rehbein@nc.gov
Dear Lieutenant Governor Robinson,
I am [NAME], a North Carolinian who you were elected to represent. On Tuesday, May 24th, a mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas killed 19 children and two adults – yet another horrifying and uniquely American tragedy. Just days after this horrific event, Donald Trump and Republican leaders, including yourself, spoke at the NRA’s convention in Texas.
I demand to know: why did you speak on behalf of the gun lobby instead of speaking out for children who deserve to be safe in schools? How many children do you need to see gunned down, communities torn apart, and lives upended, before you’ll finally decide to put lives ahead of the gun lobby and actually do something to stop this senseless violence? Republican leaders like yourself continue to make it clear they callously care more about keeping money in the pockets of gun manufacturers and the gun lobby than dead children. When will it end?
[INSERT PERSONAL STORY HERE. Example: “I am a parent of two boys. I don’t want to be afraid to drop them off at school every day -- and you can do something about it. Demand members of your party in the General Assembly come to the table to pass common-sense gun reform.]
Your thoughts and prayers are not enough. Your attendance at the NRA convention in Texas made it crystal clear: you, and the North Carolina Republican Party, are beholden to the NRA -- not to protecting North Carolina children.
If you have any decency or respect for parents across North Carolina and this nation who are fielding questions from scared and confused kids, parents who are trying to overcome the overwhelming fear that their child is not safe at school, and parents who are at this very moment living out the nightmare of losing a child – disavow the NRA and get to work for the people of North Carolina.
Sincerely,
[Add your name]