This is literal insanity!

Here we go again … ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ {NAME}, As a country, we’re not in a good place. We are fractured, and what we have been doing isn’t working. It brings to mind an old quote often misattributed to Albert Einstein: “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." Ten people murdered in a grocery store, another six shot in a church, and all we have to offer their families is thoughts and prayers. Look, on a purely personal level, I believe in prayer. Many of us have been in that one situation where things seemed hopeless, but somehow turned out in our favor. Whether it was a good score as a youngster in school when we forgot to study for a test, a surprise cash windfall as an adult when we were in a really tight spot, or an unexpectedly positive health outcome when everyone was expecting the worst … every once in a while, we catch a break and can’t really explain why, except for the fact that we prayed. Having said that, imagine that back when you were in school and had a tough exam coming up, prayer had been your entire strategy – that instead of studying and preparing for the exam, you had chosen to spend all your time praying for an A. How would your parents or teacher have reacted to that? How do you think you would have done on the test? That is where we are as a nation when it comes to gun violence – we offer nothing to the victims or the next generation except prayers and well wishes. Well, here’s another old quote I feel applies here: God helps those who help themselves. Until we DO SOMETHING to address the root causes of gun violence in this country, we’ll just be defining insanity by doing the same thing over and over again – offering never-ending thoughts and prayers for the families of a constant stream of victims that never seems to stop. Thoughts and prayers aren’t going to address the lack of available and affordable mental health services in this country. They aren’t going to stop the increasing online radicalization of discontented white men who want someone else to blame for their problems and increasingly turn to violence when they find a scapegoat. And they aren’t going to pass common-sense gun safety reforms that keep guns out the of the hands of children, the violent, and the mentally ill. I’m not going to beat around the bush – as Democrats, we hold some responsibility here, as well. We need to make public safety a bigger part of our priority wish list and not wait until the next inevitable tragedy to protest gun violence and lobby for change. The NRA is a domestic terrorist organization. If you think I’ve gone too far with that label, you haven’t been paying attention. They embody everything that drags America downward and backward: Fear, anger, hatred, violence, arrogance, and greed. Maybe we need to launch the same kind of protests outside NRA headquarters that the right holds outside Planned Parenthood facilities – show up holding deeply disturbing pictures of gun violence victims high above our heads, force them to look at the carnage, force them to explain to their children why they do what they do for a living. And maybe we shouldn’t stop with the NRA itself – maybe every member of Congress who’s received a single penny from the NRA should have the same thing happen in front of their offices. We need to make an example out of these folks, and we need to send a message: “Enough is enough!” We need to also make sure that we use our passion around this issue to build the political infrastructure we need to win legislative victories. Recruit volunteers, activists, and most important of all VOTERS at gun violence protests! Lastly, but just as importantly, we need to take care with our messaging. We must make it clear that in our eyes, responsible, law-abiding gun owners are NOT synonymous with the NRA. You can own a firearm in this country to defend yourself, your business, and your family; that’s your right under the Constitution. We don’t want to take your guns away if you’re a responsible, law-abiding adult. Our goals are gun safety, gun responsibility, and keeping weapons of war out of the hands of children and criminals. We need to do all of this respectfully, peacefully, legally, and with the sole intent of changing the laws. That is what we are going to set out to do, and we are going to elect leaders that align with our vision of America. If you want to help, please consider supporting us with a donation today: Thanks for your time and support. --Hassan Martini, Executive Director, and the No Dem Left Behind team No Dem Left Behind is a federal PAC focused on building a base of support for progressive values in rural America. 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