Friend —
My son, Daniel, was a smart, quiet kid.
He’d just become a straight-A student, and he was overcoming his shyness as a new member of the debate team.
On April 20th, 1999, my beautiful and bright 15-year-old son was killed by two teenagers with guns in the library of Columbine High School — one of 12 innocent kids who lost their lives for no reason at all.
It’s been 14 years since that horrible day — 14 years of fighting so no family has to grieve like ours did.
These tragedies keep happening, and so far, Congress has failed to take common-sense action to stop them — even though nine in 10 Americans have agreed that expanding background checks would help close the loopholes that put guns in the hands of dangerous people and prevent future violence.
Today, OFA and allied organizations are standing up for a national Day of Action to ask members of Congress: What will it take to finally act to prevent gun violence?
I hope you’ll join in — say you’ll do one thing this week to show Congress you want action to prevent gun violence.
The evening of the shooting at Columbine High was the most hopeless I’ve ever felt.
Since Daniel’s death, I’ve found a way to honor him: by trying to prevent other families from feeling this pain. I’ve advocated locally and nationally for smarter gun laws — even helping achieve a statewide ballot victory here in Colorado.
In December, when I heard about the shooting in Newtown, I sat in my office and broke down. I was watching another community torn apart by guns — more parents grieving, more kids who would never see graduation, or a wedding, or a family of their own.
And in the wake of another tragedy, nine in 10 Americans agreed that it was time to act — expand background checks to close the loopholes that put guns in the hands of dangerous people.
But Congress disappointed us, putting politics above the safety of our kids.
That’s why this week, we’re asking: How many parents will have to go through what I did before we say “enough”?
You should be a part of this, too. Tell Congress you’re going to keep asking until they act:
http://my.barackobama.com/Do-One-Thing-for-Gun-Violence-Prevention
Thank you,
Tom
Tom Mauser
Littleton, Colorado
