Tell the NRA enough!

Our country is in shock at the tragedy in Connectictut. It's time we told the NRA ENOUGH! We won't stand for their opposition to sensible gun laws anymore. Sign the petition and send it to everyone:

Columbine. Virginia Tech. Aurora. And now, 28 people dead in a school in Connecticut -- 20 of them kids. We sit, all across the country, in shock. How could this happen? There are no satisfying answers. But one thing we know is that it's outrageous that our country hasn't passed sensible gun control laws yet.

That's because, for decades, the National Rifle Association (NRA) has opposed any and every reasonable proposal to regulate guns. NRA head Wayne LaPierre has made it his personal mission to make it easier for Americans to be able to buy guns and to threaten every politician who stands in his way. ENOUGH. Let's tell the NRA we're done with their extremism and show our politicians the public is ready to stand with them against LaPierre.

Sign the petition now and send it to everyone -- when we hit 1 million we'll surround NRA headquarters and let them know this is the last tragedy of the NRA's reign:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/nra_enough/?bVzSCdb&v=20192

President Obama says it's time to take "meaningful action" to make sure this tragedy never happens again. We need to hold him to that promise as his leadership is essential, but Congress writes the laws and until we free them from the grip of the NRA, it's hard to see them having the courage to act.

The NRA claims gun control rules violate gun owners' right to bear arms. The truth is, it’s a false debate. The Supreme Court has said that the right to bear arms is not absolute -- we can respect our constitutionally protected right to bear arms while also enacting strong gun control laws that keep our children safe. And laws are only getting more lax -- just two days ago a state legislature voted to allow gun owners to bring concealed weapons to school! While many argue it's not gun availability but mental illness that is responsible for tragedies like this, the truth is it's both, and we need to address both -- NOW.

After a string of mass shootings in Australia, the government enacted gun control rules in 1996. In the following decade, there was not a single mass shooting. And that evidence of gun control leading to less gun killings is consistent across the world.

Sign the urgent petition and send to everyone -- let's draw a line in the sand that finally stops the NRA. It's way past time we tackle gun control:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/nra_enough/?bVzSCdb&v=20192

Let's start a real national conversation about the laws that could protect our communities and families from devastating tragedies like this. Our Avaaz community in the US is nearly one million-strong! If we all rally around this moment together and tell all our friends, we can make this happen.

With hope and determination,

Mia, Alice, Ricken, Dalia, Allison, David and the whole Avaaz team

MORE INFORMATION

Obama's cautious call may re-engage gun control debate (New York Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/15/us/politics/obamas-reaction-to-connecticut-shooting-sets-stage-for-gun-debate.html?hp

Nation reels from tragic shooting (New York Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/15/nyregion/shooting-reported-at-connecticut-elementary-school.html?hp

NRA-led gun lobby wields powerful influence over ATF, U.S. politics (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/14/AR2010121406045.html

Gun Control Legislation Report 2012 (Congressional Research Service)
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL32842.pdf

Study: Australia's gun control laws
http://injuryprevention.bmj.com/content/12/6/365.full

Twelve facts about guns and mass shootings in the United States (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2012/12/14/nine-facts-about-guns-and-mass-shootings-in-the-united-states/