Friends,
Last week the NRA released their best fundraising numbers in over a decade. From POLITICO:
“The committee’s fundraising pace in January and February alone has doubled from the previous cycle. Its PAC ends the month with a $4 million war chest.”
Meanwhile, communities across America continue to be plagued by devastating gun violence. Every night the stories on the news get worse and worse. Aurora, Newtown, Oak Creek, and here in Chicago, where honors student Hadiya Pendelton and precious six-month old Jonylah Watkins were killed by gunfire, just to name a few.
Yet the NRA raises more and more money. Simply put, it’s unacceptable.
The wave of public opinion is with us. The rest of the country knows that what’s happening on our streets, in our communities and in our schools has to be stopped. They know that common sense gun reforms like universal background checks and high capacity ammunition magazine bans will save lives. So the NRA is doubling down for a fight. They’re pinning their hopes on big moneyed special interests - and they’re gaining strength.
We can’t let them win. And with you on my side they won’t. I am so grateful for the support I’ve received from the Daily Kos community. A big part of the reason why I am the Democratic nominee for Congress in IL-2 is you. But our work has just begun.
This isn’t going to be easy, but we know it’s the right thing to do. We need to make sure that our malls; our places of worship, our streets and our schools are safe and gun-free for all of us. Thank you so much for being part of my team!
-Robin Kelly