Senator Harry Reid: Stand up to the NRA!

Dear Senator Reid,

The nation is ready for an assault weapons ban. Are you? Will you back the legislation proposed by Senator Dianne Feinstein and supported by President Obama and Vice President Biden? Your leadership is key to getting gun control legislation passed in this country.

In the past, you have promoted the rights of gun owners and eagerly sought the NRA's endorsements, contributions and praise. After the Aurora, Colorado movie theater shootings in July 2012, you blocked any debate about gun control, insisting that the Senate schedule was “too packed” to spend time on it.

After this latest tragedy at Sandy Hook that left 20 children dead, you have said that it is time to “engage in a meaningful conversation and thoughtful debate about how to change laws and culture that allow violence to grow." But the time for discussion is long past; we want action. We want you to stand up to the NRA and to use your leadership to protect our children, not the gun manufacturers.

Today we heard from a concerned and fed up Newtown mother. “I would like a message sent to anyone who will listen that there should be a ban on semi-automatic assault weapons if only to give our children a fighting chance to run from the gunfire!!!!” she said.

With 20 children dead and President Obama insisting that preventing gun violence will be a second-term policy priority, now is the time to show your support for an assault weapons ban.

Sincerely,