We Must Stand Together To Protect Our Kids
Join us & tell your reps you support our children
I have two kids. A boy in 6th grade and a girl in high school. I love them dearly.
Every time I hear about another school shooting, my first terrified thought is: Did it happen in their school? I have a shameful moment of relief when I realize that they’re safe (this time), followed immediately by sadness for the families and communities where it happened, then a sense of helplessness, and then rage.
I think: What’s wrong with us? Why are we so helpless? Why can’t we stop this? What is wrong with our system? Why don’t our lawmakers care? But not today.
Today, a switch flipped. I realized it’s not about them—it’s about us. It’s about me (I’m the founder of a company that powers political action for goodness' sake)... There is something we can do. There’s a lot more we can do.
We’re going to put our kids first.
We are not helpless. We don’t live in Russia or China where we can’t speak up without fear of being put in jail, where we can’t protest. We live in a democracy. Our lawmakers will listen if we make them listen. Yes, it may be painful. Yes, it will be difficult. But we’ve done it before. We celebrate and honor the stories of those who challenged the status quo going back to our very founders. Every hard-earned right and freedom in our history has happened when people united and demanded change. It happened then, and it can happen now.
And, for our kids, it must happen now.
Let’s start with the basics
Guns are way too easy to get. Firearms are the direct enabler of an epidemic of violence that is killing our youth. Everywhere. Gun violence affects everyone—from families in our inner cities to those in our rural communities. And it’s only getting worse.
There have been more than 130 mass shootings in America in 2023. And the number of mass shootings is on the rise--in the last three years, there have been more than 600 mass shootings. That’s almost two a day.
The brutal reality of gun violence is that most of the perpetrators of mass shootings don’t care that they will die in the process. There’s no criminal to prosecute, and children are dead. Children are dead.
The only way to stop this madness is to keep these people from getting a gun.
As my local police chief said at a community safety meeting recently, "The way to end gun violence on our streets is to get rid of guns."
Don’t quote the Second Amendment. Don’t debate state rights and federal rights. Don’t cite Supreme Court precedent. There is no argument in defense of guns that should be above our children’s safety.
The Political Will
Politicians should not care more about Americans’ guns than America’s children. Congress and the president must work together now to protect our kids. Which party controls which chamber or branch is irrelevant. Even in today’s divided government, it will only take a handful of lawmakers to come together to save our children.
And we’re here to help them.
To remind them that it’s not just our children, it’s their children, it’s their grandchildren.
Indeed, if our lawmakers can unite over the terrifying danger of a social media app from China that’s “hurting our kids,” then they absolutely should be able to come together around protecting our kids from guns. Gun violence is the number one cause of death for U.S. children and teens.
In other comparable countries, death by firearms is not even close to being within the top four causes of death in children.
Meaning: this is a solvable problem that has been solved. This is not some radical proposal. Most large, wealthy countries have figured out how to allow guns while also keeping their children safe. We can learn from them and immediately implement some of their solutions.
We need a “Protect Our Kids” czar reporting to the president, and we absolutely need a congressional committee dedicated to protecting our kids and reducing gun violence.
And we need to do this now. This is a pandemic-level threat. It deserves a pandemic-level response.
What we will do
Unlike most media sites, Causes is an action-taking platform. We are literally built for this.
Starting today, we’ll be manning the digital barricades with powerful, impactful actions that everyone can take—from dedicated non-profits you can support, to messages you can send to your lawmakers, to information about local and national marches, to sharing inspiring news of parents and communities standing up for their safety, and much, much more.
We’ll circulate ideas from you and engage in conversation about what can be done.
We’ll help identify areas where we can have the most impact, supply action kits, share inspirational art that we can wear in support of this effort, and let people know where we can peacefully organize to show our support for our kids. And to demand that our leaders put our kids first.
Good Trouble
The one thing our lawmakers fear most is an army of enraged parents.
All movements have a moment where they go from fringe to mainstream. This movement already has the support, we all already agree. We just need to work together. We need to show our leaders that we care about protecting our kids, and that we won’t stand for inaction any longer, that we will steadily increase the pressure on them until they act.
I’m inspired by the people of Israel who recently stood up to a dangerous and unprecedented power grab by their coalition-elected minority leader, Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu attempted to remove a critical check and balance in their society, Israel’s Supreme Court. In response, over months, the people of Israel - from generals to students, from bus drivers to pilots - protested, drove awareness, and ultimately shut down the country until Netanyahu relented (for now).
Will that be necessary in America? Let’s hope not. But let’s also be prepared to shut down this country so our children can grow up in it.
Here’s what you can do right now:
- First - think about what you’re willing to do to protect your children
- Second - realize you’re not alone, we are everywhere, and together we are powerful
- Third - commit to doing something every day
I had a dream last night of parents everywhere in America stopping work for one hour, one Friday, every month, and standing around our schools holding hands.
For our kids,
Bart Myers
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Can we get together push the schools to get bulletproof room put in it's collapsible they can use out of the storage room but the last minute if they had to take cover they can go in there and lock it from the inside out it is on tiktok video about how school districts can buy classical room where students can hide in that's bulletproof and and it's lockable from the inside out I think every school in America and district. Needs to have this collapsible bulletproof room for students and teachers to hide from the gun men where they cannot get hurt from them
I don't need a gun. I don't want one unless there's war or civil war against our country and or Republic democracy. We currently don't have a government that's a republic democracy, we have a capitalist government which is reaganomics. This reaganomics or capitalist government is very corrupt. It begins with give the rich all the profits and in return we will trust them to build a manufacturing industry that will put us all to work. It ends with the rich didn't create a manufacturing industry at all, instead they sent our manufacturing elsewhere. As you can tell, it's shocking that for 4 decades, that's 40 years, we've let that system of trust the rich to keep going and in return the rich have used that money, 40 trillion in profit, to buy and own the entire republican party and a huge chunk of the Democrat party. Having a two party system was never a good idea except of course for the rich who have always wanted a slavery country with little to no government oversight into their ways and industries. They are all about profit in such sick and demented ways. They've make our food junk as well as our land and water. The Supreme Court bow to the rich so their corporations can be seen as actual people that can commit extreme mass murder when they want for profit and not have to pay justice just fines or fees or sometimes one of each or just a small fee. That small fee is not going to clean up their mess at all and the taxpayers of America have to for the bill. This is an extremely evil plot and plan to fleece America and Americans of all its wealth. I think Republicans can never win again. The media is owned by the rich and they make the Republicans out to be a part that can change. They're not. They've always had one goal, to rewrite the constitution to of the rich by the rich and for the rich. They are godless and nasty Americans that are a corrupt as can be. I can't take the blame away from the rich. They are at war with us. They declared war on us. You protest, you strike and we win. Otherwise earth will be soon guaranteed a death sentence, while you consented to the schemes of the devil.
We have a right to LIFE, do we not? Guns are not people and they shouldn't have more freedoms than we enjoy. Protect our kids!!!
The very first, most important American right, is the right to life. I don't have children, but every living person on this planet has the right to continue to expect life, above all other rights. The right to own guns is much farther down that list of rights, nearly an afterthought. Where the two conflict, the secondary one much cede to the primary.
It's disgusting that our children are being used as pawns to take away our freedoms.
"How many more kids have to die before we ban assault weapons?" is nothing more than a threat: "Give up your freedoms or more of your kids will have to die."
Has making schools "gun-free" zones worked? No, it has made them a more enticing target for people intent on harming others.
Forefeiting our basic rights spelled out by the Bill of Rights will not make our kids safer in the long run. Our nation used to understand this, going so far as to proclaim "Live free or die" as one state motto. They had experienced oppression, and judged the risk of death to be worth the prize of freedom. They could have surrendered their arms to the British troops and avoided a bloody revolution. Yet they chose freedom over ephemeral "safety."
Making the US "safe from guns" will only leave us vulnerable to other, more insidious, dangers. Not to mention that criminals will still have access to guns.
Do you value your right to protest and present your grievances to your politicians? How long do you expect them to listen to you, or even tolerate you, if you let them be the only ones with weapons?
Look at the government's response to January 6th: barbed wire and armed soldiers blocking access to our nation's capitol. And that despite firearms not playing a significant role in favor of the protests. The only firearm death was a veteran shot and killed by capitol police.
Consider whether you would feel better if you gave up all firearms and then someone like Trump (or even worse) became the next president. Few things make tyrants bolder than being the strongest force with an imbalance of power.
We need to find better, multi-faceted, long-term solutions to violence instead of a simplistic ban on guns.
There is no assurance of "safety" or "security" if you rely solely on the whims of government politicians to maintain them for you.
True freedom inherently involves risks. Trying to isolate from all risks often ends up being surrounded by walls.
Our kids deserve to have the same fundamental rights we received from our predecessors, and more... not fewer.
Hey DeDoorknob, abbortt, crenshaw, cornyn and cruz, so simple dumb/dead d$cks😂👍🤷♂️🤪🖕
All of the sudden he wants to do his job? Which is not helping the American people like the Republican are doing!
It is past time for meaningful gun control laws. I respect it is a complicated issue.
I propose the following steps.
1: no campaign contributions from gun related lobbyist.
2: a robust background check for every gun purchase. Closing all private sale loopholes.
3: assault rifle and high powered rifles require a permit and competence test. Retesting periodically.
4: limits on magazine size.
5: ban on ghost guns of all types.
6: ban on automatic conversion kits.
7: improved mental health services.
please start...
With cynicism, I know you will probably not act. Sadly the reason is money and power. I hope your children never die because of someone else's greed.
Damn Republican'ts! If it's not the F'n 'war on kids' with guns or books, then it's the F'n pedophiles ... Now Minnesota...
Minnesota GOP operative found guilty of underage sex trafficking charges - UPI.com - link below ...
oh and let's not forget my story here in Texas from yesterday https://texassignal.com/the-grooming-problem-started-years-ago-for-texas-republicans/
Full link from above ...
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2023/04/01/minnesota-man-guilty-sex-trafficking-underage-charges/7671680373178/
Fuck all these perverts/criminals, and that goes for MY dumbass Reps. too.
We need military style weapons and weapons of war off the streets. In the past when we restricted Sales of such, the mass and school shooting numbers dropped, when those restrictions were dropped the number of shootings exploded. Our children die because Congress cannot get it together and pass common sense reform. Congress: get off the pot or go home!
This has gone on for far too long.
Parents didn't want her children to learn hatred, because she can teach her children herself!
I drive a car. To do so, I had to show that I could handle the car responsibly and pass a test both a written test and a driving test to prove that I would be competent enough to get a driver’s license. Not only that, I had to buy insurance to protect others should I fail to control the vehicle and cause harm to others. I have to go the the BMV every few years to prove that my eyesight is good enough to see road signs and traffic ahead of me.
For a while, I also owned a motorcycle. As this vehicle is less protected than an enclosed car I needed to prove that I could responsibly handle it by driving through an obstacle course with stop signs, yield signs and a simulated traffic light. There was also another written test on motorcycle regulations and safe operation. I had to get a rider added to my driver’s license and also to my motor vehicle insurance policy in order to take my motorcycle on the road.
While driving, my performance is randomly checked by traffic police and if my vehicle’s license has lapsed, if I rolled through a stop or ignored some traffic control - it was noted on my driving record as points. Whenever I might get too many points, my driving privileges could be severely curtailed or even revoked.
I also bought a semi-automatic handgun for home defense. It took about 20 minutes to clear the background process. That’s it!
Just why aren’t at least some similar licensing and insurance requirements imposed on gun owners?
As far as the handgun, for my own safety I did take some time to go through safe operating procedures and bought several sessions at a local target shooting range to assure that I could indeed handle it properly - but that was not required nor was it even recommended.
The gun is currently double-locked with chains running through the magazine receiver in the handle up through cartridge ejector port and is stored in a non-disclosed location.
Licensing, insurance, written and performace testing, and periodic recertifications can keep guns only the hands of people proven to be qualified to handle them. These requirements should also be much stricter for those that want to get their hands on AR type weapons that are designed to reapidly kill many people - just as the requirements are greater for people who want to own and operate motorcycles.
It's heartbreaking and completely unnecessary, not to mention frightening for kids, parents, and school staff, that shootings like this are still happening extremely often. No one needs any level of automatic weapon for any personal reason.
Freedom means allowing people to pursue their own happiness, even if you may not agree with it. as long as they are not harming any one.
It shouldn't be up for discussion, human rights are not on the bargining table. its UnAmerican to infringe on the rights of others.
We got to protect and the safety of children from book, drag queen, LGBTQ, trans, woke, art, sculpture, Ruby Bridge and anything you may feel offensive, but it's Ok that guns kill, to have them participate in violence, insurrection, hate groups, being exclusive, bullying, church pedophiles and abuses parents.
Ok, Congress. It's time for you to protect our children from guns. Not books, not TikTok, not LGBTQ but guns. Stop taking NRA money and protect our children
We must protect our most precious and vulnerable children. Lawmakers want to force women to give birth and then do absolutely NOTHING to protect and nurture them afterwards. This need to be replaced by politicians who actually care about their constituents rather than their donors.
Anyone concerned about the physical safety of their kids in schools from guns needs to know national, state and county laws and enforcement history to know if their kids attend school somewhere safe or not. Need to know, and take action by not voting for people that don't support gun safety.
1) How their representative in the House & 2 Senators in Congress voted on gun legislation
2) How their state representative & senators voted in the State Legislature voted
3) if their County Sheriff declared their county a "Second Amendment sanctuaries" and not following red flag laws that exist in 20 states, and whether they have enforced judicial decisions or not, and if judicial decisions are felonies to prevent sales or red flag laws to take guns away.
A good example is the Colorado shooter at Club Q. Had a judge convicted him of a felony he wouldn't be able to buy guns. Had the sheriff enforced the court judgement to get treatment and taken his guns away, this shooting would have been prevented.
"Soon after the arrest of Anderson Lee Aldrich, the man accused of the Club Q shooting, reports surfaced of a previous incident in which he surrendered to police after threatening to blow up his mother’s home with a homemade bomb."
"According to The Associated Press, court transcripts show that the judge who dismissed the case said in a hearing that the defendant had been stockpiling weapons and explosives, was “clearly” planning a shootout, and that he needed mental health treatment. Neither the family nor law enforcement sought an extreme risk protection order to ensure Aldrich didn’t have access to guns, leading to questions about whether November’s shooting could have been prevented if they had."
Note: This account is from the health people on the receiving end of trying to save people with so many injuries that they bleed out.
https://khn.org/news/article/colorado-considers-changing-its-red-flag-law-after-mass-shooting-at-nightclub/amp/
We must do all we can to protect our kids from gun violence. This current Congress so far isn't getting it done, and it seems like state legislatures across the country seem hellbent on doing the opposite by relaxing access to weapons of murder.
No one person's rights should matter more than the rights of our children. Letting anyone who wants a gun to have one is not "pro life", it's pro death.
I will keep voting blue as long as the Republican party continues to stand for murder and gun violence.