Call to Action: March 1, 2018
REPEAL THE BAN ON GUN VIOLENCE RESEARCH
#EndGunViolence
#BoycottNRA
#NeverAgain
Guns take the lives of roughly 30,000 Americans each year. Yet the Centers for Disease Control won’t research it as they research other leading causes of death.
The CDC used to conduct research on gun violence — but the results were damning to the gun sales industry. In 1993, a CDC study found firearms in the home increased the risk of homicide. The results were so unambiguous, the NRA claimed it was “anti-gun propaganda” and argued that federal funds shouldn’t support such work. Congress passed budget rider to prevent such “advocacy” in 1996 (known as the Dickey Amendment or the Dickey Budget Rider), and CDC funding for firearm injury prevention has fallen 96 percent.
But times are changing. Support for gun violence prevention has been consistently gaining ground, including among gun-owners. Trump’s HHS Secretary recently said this research should be a “priority.” Even Jay Dickey, the former Congressman who sponsored the 1996 budget rider, wrote a public letter expressing regret and requesting Congress begin funding research.
Get on the phone and tell Congress it’s time to lift the ban. We need more than Walmart’s line of children’s bulletproof backpacks . . .
We need science!
Where’s NRA Complicit Greg Walden!?!
**ACTION 1: Call NRA Complicit Greg Walden and our Senators**
SAMPLE SCRIPT for Greg Walden:
“My name is [–] and I’m a constituent and voter from [city], Oregon, [zip code]. I am calling to demand that the Greg Walden work to repeal the Dickey Amendment so that research can begin again on gun violence prevention. I understand that Mr. Walden is a strong Second Amendment supporter. But, so too is the late Congressman Jay Dickey, the original author of the amendment, and Chairman Bob Goodlatte — both of whom called for revisiting this issue. Hopefully, science will help us identify common ground. Thank you.”
SAMPLE SCRIPT for Senators Merkley and Wyden:
“My name is [–] and I’m a constituent and voter from [city], Oregon [zip code]. I am calling to ask that the Senator work to include a repeal of the Dickey amendment in the upcoming spending bill, so that research can begin again on gun violence prevention. Thank you.”
**ACTION 2: Send this to Friends and Family**
Share this post with friends and family, especially in red states. Urge them to tell their representatives that the Dickey amendment should be lifted so gun violence prevention can be restarted. We cannot waste another 22 years to find interventions that could have protected the public, especially our children. Congress has an opportunity this month to remove the ban from the spending bill.
NRA Complicit GREG WALDEN
DC (202) 225-6730, Medford: (541) 776-4646,
Bend (541) 389-4408, La Grande (541) 624-2400
https://walden.house.gov/contact-greg/email-me
SENATOR JEFF MERKLEY
Portland: (503) 326-3386, DC: (202) 224-3753
Salem: (503) 362-8102, Eugene: (541) 465-6750
Medford: (541) 608-9102, Bend: (541) 318-1298
Pendleton: (541) 278-1129
https://www.merkley.senate.gov/contact/
SENATOR RON WYDEN
Portland: (503) 326-7525, DC: (202) 224-5244
Salem: (503) 589-4555, Eugene: (541) 431-0229
Medford: (541) 858-5122, Bend: (541) 330-9142
La Grande: (541) 960-7691
https://www.wyden.senate.gov/contact/
Why Can’t the US Treat Gun Violence as a Public Health Problem
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2018/02/gun-violence-public-health/553430/
After Florida Shooting the Best Thing From Gun Debate Might Be More Science
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/02/23/after-florida-school-shooting-best-thing-gun-debate-might-more-science/365045002/
Upcoming Events Request:
We want to help publicize events taking place throughout Oregon District 2 and have a special request regarding any upcoming “March For Our Lives” or “Enough is Enough” gun safety related events that will take place on March 24. If you know of any such events scheduled within our District, please submit them to be included in our Event Calendar: https://ord2indivisible.org/submit-your-event/