PTA Leaders,
Like you, we at National PTA are heartbroken and horrified by the tragic assaults in El Paso, Dayton and Odessa. It sometimes feels as though no place is safe from the epidemic of senseless gun violence.
Keeping our schools and communities safe for children and families is National PTA’s highest priority. We have always advocated for common sense measures to reduce gun violence and enhance school safety. We are continuing and intensifying our efforts over the next few weeks. Today, we are launching a campaign to push Congress to pass reasonable measures to keep guns away from people who should not have them. We are also planning social media outreach to raise awareness of our work to promote safe communities and schools.
Action Alert to U.S. Senators on Background Checks
The House of Representatives moved to close a loophole in current law that allows private or unlicensed vendors to sell guns without conducting a background check on the purchaser by passing H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019 earlier this year. A companion bill, the Background Check Expansion Act (S. 42), was introduced in the Senate, where it has 40 cosponsors. However, the measure has stalled. To push the Senate to take up this important legislation, National PTA is releasing an Action Alert asking PTA members to contact their Senators to urge them to support the bill or thank them for their sponsorship of S. 42. Please take a few minutes to send the action alert today!
Letter from National PTA Leadership to Majority Leader McConnell
Background check legislation cannot advance in the Senate unless Majority Leader Mitch McConnell agrees to bring the bill to the floor for a vote. We believe it’s essential for Senator McConnell to understand how important this bill is to PTA. Today, a letter (attached) from National PTA President Leslie Boggs and Executive Director Nathan Monell was sent to Senator McConnell, outlining National PTA’s position and urging him to bring the bill to the floor and facilitate its passage. The letter will be up on the Letters to Policymakers page shortly and will be posted on social media this afternoon.
Social Media Outreach
While passing common sense background check legislation is an essential part of addressing gun violence, our approach to gun safety and violence prevention is much broader than a single bill. Over the next few weeks, be on the lookout for social media posts highlighting National PTA’s programs and priorities aimed at keeping kids safe in their communities and at school. Please share, like and retweet these messages.
Congressional Hearing Tomorrow
Wednesday, September 11 the House Education and Labor subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education will be holding a hearing on, “The Importance of Trauma-Informed Practices in Education to Assist Students Impacted by Gun Violence and Other Adversities.” The hearing will be at 10:15am and you can watch it here. You can also read National PTA’s position statement on trauma informed care here.
Thank you in advance for your continued advocacy!
