Got this in the E-mail this morning:
"America is besieged by gun violence. In 1996, 34,040 Americans died from
firearm injuries. Hundreds of thousands more were injured. Although
handguns comprise only one-third of firearms in the U.S., they are used in
more than two-thirds of firearms-related homicides.
The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence's mission is to stop gun violence by
fostering effective community and national action.
5 facts every American must know about gun violence
1. Residents of homes where a gun is present are 5 times more likely to
experience a suicide and 3 times more likely to experience a homicide than
are residents of homes without guns. If you really want to protect yourself
and your family, do not buy a handgun.
2. The Second Amendment is no barrier to tough gun control laws. No gun
control law has ever been overturned on Second Amendment grounds. We could
ban handguns tomorrow and it would pass constitutional muster.
3. The Gun Industry is one of the few unregulated industries in America.
Every other consumer product -- from teddy bears to toasters -- is subject
to stringent safety regulations. Guns are not.
4. Even if you don't own a gun, you pay for gun violence in America. You
pay for increased health care costs, you pay with a loss of security, and you
pay with a loss of freedom.
5. The media tends to cover gun issues solely as a crime problem, but gun
violence is a public health epidemic. Everyone, regardless of age, race, or
ethnicity, suffers from gun violence.
What does America gain from tough, restrictive gun laws?
1. Freedom. Freedom doesn't mean amassing an arsenal of weapons in your
basement and preparing for Armageddon. Freedom is dropping your children off
at school and not worrying about their safety. Freedom is walking in your
neighborhood after dark. Freedom is not having to worry about gunfire.
2. Safety. Approximately 35,000 Americans are killed with firearms every
year and an additional 90,000 are injured with firearms. This violence
threatens all our lives.
3. Protection. The Brady Law has stopped over 250,000 illegal purchases of
firearms. The Crime Bill of 1994 significantly lowered the number of gun
dealers operating in America. Tough gun laws reduce crime and save lives.
4. Healthy Children. Children in the United States are 12 times more likely
to die from a firearm injury than children in other industrialized countries.
Guns kill and young people are dying. We must band together to provide a
safe environment for all of America's youth.
5. Peace of Mind - Behind the staggering statistics, are families and
friends struggling to deal with the pain of losing a loved one. Tough gun
laws will reduce firearm death and injury and restore peace of mind for
families and communities.
The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence is comprised of 46 national organizations
and 120,000 members working to reduce gun violence. We were founded in 1974
and are the oldest gun control organization in the country.
What We Do
Grassroots Organizing - We support a range of organizations and individuals
who are fighting to reduce gun violence. We provide technical advice,
training seminars, and practical skills to ensure that concerned individuals
and organizations are up to speed on the latest developments in firearm
legislation and educational initiatives. We receive calls from people every
day looking for ways to make their communities safe from gun violence. We
answer their call and provide them the help they need.
Education - Our main goal is to save lives and to do that we must educate
Americans about guns and gun violence. We want you to understand the dangers
that firearms pose to the health of the American family. Just as over time
Americans have woken up to the dangers of smoking, now people are realizing
how guns are damaging our country. Incredibly, guns are expected to surpass
car crashes and become the number one injury related killer of Americans in
the year 2003. We have endured years of neglect towards our nation's gun
laws by our politicians, but with your help we are changing attitudes and
laws.
Youth Work - We constantly work with young people, listening to how gun
violence affects their lives and helping them find positive alternatives to
violence. Too many young people are forced to spend an inordinate amount of
time avoiding violence when they should just be concerned with learning and
enjoying life. We fight to make sure that guns do not take away their
childhoods.
Legislation - We lobby for tough gun laws to protect Americans. We fought
for and won the Assault Weapons ban. We were there when the NRA tried to
sneak a repeal of the assault weapons ban through Congress and we beat them
on that one, too. We are leading the charge to keep guns out of the hands of
young people. We are there to keep Congress from importing military style
assault weapons. We are fighting for the passage of a ban on the sale of
small, cheap handguns, known as junk guns. We are the voice of the majority
of Americans who want tough restrictions of guns. Join us and let your voice
be heard!
Benefits of becoming a Coalition to Stop Gun Violence member:
Regular mailings keep you up-to-date on what is happening in Congress and in
your State Legislature.
Access to our newsletter for activists. This newsletter gives community
activists advice on organizing strategy, educational programs, and the latest
successes in reducing gun violence.
Action Alerts when Congress is about to vote on specific gun control
legislation. We urge our members to call, write, fax, and e-mail their
elected representatives. If you don't know who your representatives are,
we'll gladly provide their addresses and phone and fax numbers to you.
CSGV maintains a web site (http://www.gunfree.org). Our web site contains
information on public health research, local and national events and
legislation.
Have your voice be heard. Help end gun violence. Join our Coalition today.
Coalition to Stop Gun Violence
Membership Form
o Annual Membership, $35
o Student Membership, $15
o Please Accept My Contribution of $_______
Name
Telephone
Address .
City State
Zip+4
Fax (Very Important)
E-Mail (Very Important)
To enable the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence to lobby aggressively on your
behalf, contributions to CSGV are not tax-deductible. Contributions to
CSGV's sister organization, the Educational Fund to End Handgun Violence, are
tax-deductible. The Educational Fund to End Handgun Violence, works to
decrease gun violence through research, education and litigation.
Return to CSGV, 1000 16th St., NW, #603, Washington, DC 20036.
The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence consists of over 100,000 individual
members
nationwide as well as the following 46 national organizations:
American Academy of Pediatrics
American Association of Suicidology
American Ethical Union
Americans for Democratic Action
American Jewish Committee
American Jewish Congress
American Psychiatric Association
American Public Health Association
Association of Japanese Families of
Gun Violence Victims in the U.S.A.
Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America
The Bible Holiness Movement, International
Center for Science in the Public Interest
Central Conference of American Rabbis
Child Welfare League
Church of the Brethren, Washington Office
Citizens For Safety
The Communitarian Network
The Council of The Great City Schools
The DISARM Education Fund
Fellowship of Reconciliation
Friends Committee on National Legislation
Jesuit Conference, Office of Social Ministries
Jewish Community Center Association
Jewish Women International
Loretto Community
Mennonite Central Committee
National Association of School Psychologists
National Association of Social Workers
National Council of Jewish Women, Inc.
National Council of Negro Women, Inc.
National Urban League, Inc.
North American Federation of Temple Youth
Pan American Trauma Association
Presbyterian Church USA, Social Justice
and Peacemaking Ministry Unit
Union of American Hebrew Congregations,
Religious Action Center
Unitarian Universalist Association
UNITE (formerly International Ladies'
Garment Workers Union)
United Church of Christ, Office for Church
and Society
United Federation of Teachers
United Methodist Church, Board of
Church and Society
United States Conference of Mayors
United States Student Association
United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism
Women's League for Conservative Judaism
Woman's National Democratic Club
YWCA of the U.S.A."
What the heck is this crap? Made me want to puke.
------------------
RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE
"America is besieged by gun violence. In 1996, 34,040 Americans died from
firearm injuries. Hundreds of thousands more were injured. Although
handguns comprise only one-third of firearms in the U.S., they are used in
more than two-thirds of firearms-related homicides.
The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence's mission is to stop gun violence by
fostering effective community and national action.
5 facts every American must know about gun violence
1. Residents of homes where a gun is present are 5 times more likely to
experience a suicide and 3 times more likely to experience a homicide than
are residents of homes without guns. If you really want to protect yourself
and your family, do not buy a handgun.
2. The Second Amendment is no barrier to tough gun control laws. No gun
control law has ever been overturned on Second Amendment grounds. We could
ban handguns tomorrow and it would pass constitutional muster.
3. The Gun Industry is one of the few unregulated industries in America.
Every other consumer product -- from teddy bears to toasters -- is subject
to stringent safety regulations. Guns are not.
4. Even if you don't own a gun, you pay for gun violence in America. You
pay for increased health care costs, you pay with a loss of security, and you
pay with a loss of freedom.
5. The media tends to cover gun issues solely as a crime problem, but gun
violence is a public health epidemic. Everyone, regardless of age, race, or
ethnicity, suffers from gun violence.
What does America gain from tough, restrictive gun laws?
1. Freedom. Freedom doesn't mean amassing an arsenal of weapons in your
basement and preparing for Armageddon. Freedom is dropping your children off
at school and not worrying about their safety. Freedom is walking in your
neighborhood after dark. Freedom is not having to worry about gunfire.
2. Safety. Approximately 35,000 Americans are killed with firearms every
year and an additional 90,000 are injured with firearms. This violence
threatens all our lives.
3. Protection. The Brady Law has stopped over 250,000 illegal purchases of
firearms. The Crime Bill of 1994 significantly lowered the number of gun
dealers operating in America. Tough gun laws reduce crime and save lives.
4. Healthy Children. Children in the United States are 12 times more likely
to die from a firearm injury than children in other industrialized countries.
Guns kill and young people are dying. We must band together to provide a
safe environment for all of America's youth.
5. Peace of Mind - Behind the staggering statistics, are families and
friends struggling to deal with the pain of losing a loved one. Tough gun
laws will reduce firearm death and injury and restore peace of mind for
families and communities.
The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence is comprised of 46 national organizations
and 120,000 members working to reduce gun violence. We were founded in 1974
and are the oldest gun control organization in the country.
What We Do
Grassroots Organizing - We support a range of organizations and individuals
who are fighting to reduce gun violence. We provide technical advice,
training seminars, and practical skills to ensure that concerned individuals
and organizations are up to speed on the latest developments in firearm
legislation and educational initiatives. We receive calls from people every
day looking for ways to make their communities safe from gun violence. We
answer their call and provide them the help they need.
Education - Our main goal is to save lives and to do that we must educate
Americans about guns and gun violence. We want you to understand the dangers
that firearms pose to the health of the American family. Just as over time
Americans have woken up to the dangers of smoking, now people are realizing
how guns are damaging our country. Incredibly, guns are expected to surpass
car crashes and become the number one injury related killer of Americans in
the year 2003. We have endured years of neglect towards our nation's gun
laws by our politicians, but with your help we are changing attitudes and
laws.
Youth Work - We constantly work with young people, listening to how gun
violence affects their lives and helping them find positive alternatives to
violence. Too many young people are forced to spend an inordinate amount of
time avoiding violence when they should just be concerned with learning and
enjoying life. We fight to make sure that guns do not take away their
childhoods.
Legislation - We lobby for tough gun laws to protect Americans. We fought
for and won the Assault Weapons ban. We were there when the NRA tried to
sneak a repeal of the assault weapons ban through Congress and we beat them
on that one, too. We are leading the charge to keep guns out of the hands of
young people. We are there to keep Congress from importing military style
assault weapons. We are fighting for the passage of a ban on the sale of
small, cheap handguns, known as junk guns. We are the voice of the majority
of Americans who want tough restrictions of guns. Join us and let your voice
be heard!
Benefits of becoming a Coalition to Stop Gun Violence member:
Regular mailings keep you up-to-date on what is happening in Congress and in
your State Legislature.
Access to our newsletter for activists. This newsletter gives community
activists advice on organizing strategy, educational programs, and the latest
successes in reducing gun violence.
Action Alerts when Congress is about to vote on specific gun control
legislation. We urge our members to call, write, fax, and e-mail their
elected representatives. If you don't know who your representatives are,
we'll gladly provide their addresses and phone and fax numbers to you.
CSGV maintains a web site (http://www.gunfree.org). Our web site contains
information on public health research, local and national events and
legislation.
Have your voice be heard. Help end gun violence. Join our Coalition today.
Coalition to Stop Gun Violence
Membership Form
o Annual Membership, $35
o Student Membership, $15
o Please Accept My Contribution of $_______
Name
Telephone
Address .
City State
Zip+4
Fax (Very Important)
E-Mail (Very Important)
To enable the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence to lobby aggressively on your
behalf, contributions to CSGV are not tax-deductible. Contributions to
CSGV's sister organization, the Educational Fund to End Handgun Violence, are
tax-deductible. The Educational Fund to End Handgun Violence, works to
decrease gun violence through research, education and litigation.
Return to CSGV, 1000 16th St., NW, #603, Washington, DC 20036.
The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence consists of over 100,000 individual
members
nationwide as well as the following 46 national organizations:
American Academy of Pediatrics
American Association of Suicidology
American Ethical Union
Americans for Democratic Action
American Jewish Committee
American Jewish Congress
American Psychiatric Association
American Public Health Association
Association of Japanese Families of
Gun Violence Victims in the U.S.A.
Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America
The Bible Holiness Movement, International
Center for Science in the Public Interest
Central Conference of American Rabbis
Child Welfare League
Church of the Brethren, Washington Office
Citizens For Safety
The Communitarian Network
The Council of The Great City Schools
The DISARM Education Fund
Fellowship of Reconciliation
Friends Committee on National Legislation
Jesuit Conference, Office of Social Ministries
Jewish Community Center Association
Jewish Women International
Loretto Community
Mennonite Central Committee
National Association of School Psychologists
National Association of Social Workers
National Council of Jewish Women, Inc.
National Council of Negro Women, Inc.
National Urban League, Inc.
North American Federation of Temple Youth
Pan American Trauma Association
Presbyterian Church USA, Social Justice
and Peacemaking Ministry Unit
Union of American Hebrew Congregations,
Religious Action Center
Unitarian Universalist Association
UNITE (formerly International Ladies'
Garment Workers Union)
United Church of Christ, Office for Church
and Society
United Federation of Teachers
United Methodist Church, Board of
Church and Society
United States Conference of Mayors
United States Student Association
United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism
Women's League for Conservative Judaism
Woman's National Democratic Club
YWCA of the U.S.A."
What the heck is this crap? Made me want to puke.
------------------
RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE