Republicans want to turn our kids’ schools into war bunkers. We have a better option.

Bulletproof doors and windows aren’t the answer to stopping gun violence ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ {NAME}, I realized something this week: We Americans are so burned out on the never-ending onslaught of senseless gun violence that the 5 stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance) have completely escaped us. We skip right over denial because these atrocities don’t shock us anymore. We speed through anger with a rage tweet or two. We skip bargaining because we know we don’t have the votes we need to make a difference. Then we settle at depression and acceptance because we’ve all but given up hope that anything will change. Another tragedy, more children slaughtered with weapons of war – legally purchased, of course. Like every other parent, I hugged my children extra tight this week. I’ve been overwhelmed with emotion, feeling absolutely broken inside for the families of Uvalde, Texas. The rest of the world is looking at us in disbelief this week, bewildered as to how we can keep on letting this happen. What I have come to terms with – and I hope that you’ll agree – is that reasoning with certain members of the Senate is not an option. 50 Republicans (and let’s admit, a couple of turncoat Democrats-in-name-only) control almost every aspect of our lives, and they are doing so because they are bought and paid for by lobbyists and special interest groups. But here’s the thing: We are not helpless to stop them. We still have the power of our voices and our votes, and we must never be complacent. We must do everything in our power to remove these callous people from office. They’re holding the entire country hostage while they continue to come up with bizarre tactics to avoid discussing common-sense gun safety reform. Their latest talking point is “hardening schools.” I wish this was some kind of sick, twisted joke, but it's not – rather than discussing gun safety reform, they want to spend $300 million on bulletproof doors and windows for our children’s classrooms. ENOUGH! Enough of this, enough of them! Let's join together and remove these bought-and-paid-for gun industry shills from the halls of Congress. We must do everything in our power to increase our majority in the Senate, so we can finally DO SOMETHING to stop gun violence – and I don’t mean turning our schools into war bunkers and wrapping our children in Kevlar. Here are the facts: More people agree with us than they do with them … a lot more, in fact. Almost everyone in this country believes we need gun legislation reform – 90% of Americans support universal background checks, and 72% support red-flag laws. Right now, it’s easier to buy a weapon of war than it is to buy a plane ticket, cold medicine, or a six-pack of beer. That’s what needs to change if we want to keep weapons of war out of the hands of criminals, children, and individuals with volatile mental health issues and violent tendencies. I dare any Senator to vote against a bill that addresses those issues! In the meantime, we must leverage our anger into action. We’ll be messaging around this issue in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Wisconsin, and Florida. Since this is an issue that the vast majority of the country agrees upon, let's not beat around the bush – let's take it head-on and put the Republicans on the defensive, for once. I want to hear reporters ask Republicans like Ted Cruz “Why do you support giving easy access to weapons of war to children and criminals?” … “Senator, do you believe we should replace all of the school doors in this country before we address gun safety reform?” … “Senator, should preschool children be taught how to shoot back?” Enough of the pleasantries – it’s time to fight back, fight loud, and beat them at their own game. My children are two and three years old, and I will be damned if I don't do everything I can to try and protect them. We are all in this together, and together we will win, because we have no other choice. So let's get it done. Thank you, --Hassan Hassan Martini, Executive Director No Dem Left Behind No Dem Left Behind is a federal PAC focused on building a base of support for progressive values in rural America. We are committed to helping solve the issues that people in rural America face by creating a foundation of trust and helping great local leaders emerge to run for elected office. We provide a national platform for our endorsed Democratic candidates to increase their exposure and help them mount winning campaigns. [Pitch in today to join our Democratic movement and help us flip more seats blue >>]( No Dem Left Behind PAC PO Box 15320 Washington, DC 20003 United States Paid for by No Dem Left Behind PAC. Not authorized by any federal candidate or candidate's committee. This email was sent to {EMAIL}. [To unsubscribe from this email list, please click here.](