To the Editor:

Since my neighbor killed 26 children and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012, the volunteer members of the Newtown Action Alliance with families directly impacted by gun violence have traveled to Washington, DC, over and over again to remind Congress that they must #HonorWithAction to #EndGunViolence in America.

When we first joined the gun control movement, we were told to avoid the terms “gun control,” “ban,” and even “#EndGunViolence.” We decided we needed to help close the passion gap between the gun rights movement and the gun control movement. We used our authentic, organic, heartfelt, and unapologetic voices to demand a bolder approach to end the scourge of all types of gun violence in all our communities. We were instrumental in helping to shift the conversation and strategy away from the incremental low-hanging fruit approach that plagued the gun control movement for decades.

2020 was a challenging year for all because the federal government has failed to protect our families and communities. Nearly 340,000 Americans have been killed by COVID-19 and over 40,000 have been killed by guns. There are faces and families attached to these numbers, therefore we continued to advocate for our comprehensive policy priorities, endorsing gun safety candidates, and helping to get out the vote for gun safety candidates in swing states with our Funbanking sessions.

We have a unique role to play in the gun-control movement and after seven years of leading an all-volunteer organization, we hired our first part-time staff member to focus on getting out the vote. Now, we will be able to work with our Gun Safety President Joe Biden and his administration to reduce gun deaths and injuries. Our work has been a labor of love for all these years and now our goal is to build a team to build a stronger alliance to continue our work to reduce the passion gap in our movement. Please consider a donation to Newtown Action Alliance to help us achieve our goals.

Please stay safe and we look forward to advocating with you in 2021.

Sincerely,

Po Murray

Chairwoman, Newtown Action Alliance

PO Box 3325, Newtown January 8, 2021