Sample Letter Urging Congress to Pass Gun Violence Prevention Legislation
Dear Representative/Senator ,
We are deeply concerned about gun violence. As your constituents, we implore you to address this
epidemic plaguing our nation and destroying our communities.
As United Methodists, we believe in both prayer and policy change. In 2016, The United Methodist
Church adopted a resolution entitled Our Call to End Gun Violence. This resolution uplifts our biblical
call to be peacemakers and agents of societal transformation guided by Micah’s prophetic dream of
swords turned into plowshares (Micah 4:1-4). As Christians, we pursue this vision with prayer, advocacy,
and organizing for gun violence prevention at local, state, and national levels.
Three of the ten worst mass shootings in national history have happened in the past five months.
Congressional inaction is not only a national shame, it is a threat to our safety, the safety of our children,
and the wellbeing of our communities. Gun violence is a public health issue and it is taking an
unacceptable toll on our society. You must act now. No more time must be wasted.
We need you to take action to ensure that:
• Every person who buys a gun pass a background check. No longer should we allow for
loopholes, such as the “gun show loophole,” or the “boyfriend loophole,” or other gaps. We
need to require universal background checks on all gun purchases.
• High-capacity weapons and ammunition magazines should not be available to civilians. There is
no legitimate self-defense or sporting purpose for these military-style, high-capacity weapons
and magazines whose only purpose is to kill large numbers of people in a short amount of time.
We need an effective assault weapons ban now.
• Gun trafficking become a federal offense. Gun trafficking fuels the flow of guns nationally and
internationally, and is a major contributing cause to extreme gun violence like that in Chicago,
New York, and elsewhere.
Whether it is a mass shooting in Florida, Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, South Carolina, or California; or
the day-to-day gun violence in metropolitan areas like Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and New York;
or the suicide that daily plagues rural and urban communities alike, our hearts are filled with rage and
sorrow for the loss of life and the trauma it brings.
We need you to take action to quell the terrible epidemic of gun violence our society is suffering. We
look forward to working with you to enact these common-sense measures to reduce gun violence. Our
prayers are with you, our support is behind you.
We are asking you to lead.
Sincerely,
