Gun Safety Report, A New Tool for Gun Sense Candidates, 3-D printed plastic guns & a message from Senator Bob Menendez, Sustainable Action Network (SAN)

Our country is right in the middle of so many critical fights. We're working with ferocity to beat back the NRA's extreme agenda and expose its ties to Russia. We're all hands on deck to stop the dangers of downloadable, untraceable, 3D printable guns. And we're not letting up on the effort to defeat President Trump's Supreme Court nominee. But our biggest fight is in November.

In November, we can get rid of the NRA lackeys in Congress and replace them with advocates for safer communities and stronger gun laws. If we're going to end gun violence in America, we're going to need to wipe out the NRA's influence in Congress and state legislatures across the country.

Getting the NRA out of Congress won't be easy, but your vote and your support can help us defeat the NRA's extremist friends in Washington. Donate now to support our work to ensure Americans vote to end gun violence in November.

We're making it possible to find the gun sense candidates in your area so you can vote to end gun violence (keep an eye on your email in the coming days!). We'll be knocking on doors and having conversations with voters about just how important it is to elect advocates for stronger gun laws. We'll be phone banking (and text banking) to reach as many voters as we can, from wherever supporters want to take action. We'll be running ads online and all over priority districts to make a big splash and ensure gun safety is a winning issue in November.

And we're going to Get Out The Vote to make sure gun sense candidates prevail and NRA-aligned politicians lose their jobs. Chip in what you can today to help us make sure we go big to elect gun sense candidates and send the NRA's friends in Congress and statehouses packing.

Thank you for supporting gun sense candidates now and in November.

Find the Gun Sense Candidates running for office in Your Area with our new tool!

We're fighting to end gun violence, and right now, our biggest fight is at the ballot box on November 6. We're gearing up to not only throw out the politicians who are beholden to the gun lobby, but to also elect Gun Sense Candidates who are running on gun safety platforms. Gun Sense Candidates are people running for office who have received our special distinction because of their commitment to REJECT the NRA's extreme agenda and to push for common sense gun safety measures.

Right now, there are already more than 2,600 Gun Sense Candidates up and down the ballot in 46 states — with more coming in all the time! That's why we're excited to unveil our brand new lookup tool that will allow gun sense voters like you to see who is a Gun Sense Candidate in YOUR area !

Vote on the side of gun safety by using our Gun Sense Candidate LookUp Tool to find local gun sense candidates in your area!

Find the Gun Sense Candidates running for office in Your Area with our new tool!

Together, we've taken the fight to end gun violence across many fronts. We marched across the country in more than 700 events after the tragic shooting in Parkland. We've rallied Americans across the country to support regulating bump stocks — the accessory the Las Vegas gunman used to shoot and kill 58 people, and injure hundreds more. We're urging our senators to oppose President Trump's dangerous Supreme Court Justice nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh. And we're adamently opposing the State Department's decision to enable anyone — including terrorists, convicted felons, and domestic abusers — to download plans to print functional, untraceable, and undetectable guns with a 3D printer.

But we know that if we're truly going to win this fight, then we're going to need Gun Sense Candidates in office who have made it clear that they align with our key priorities to reduce gun violence in America. And our new tool will help you find them: Check out who the Gun Sense Candidates are in your area, and then come November, vote on the side of gun safety.

Sign the petition: Stop 3-D Printed Guns

Blueprints for untraceable 3D printed firearms parts can be downloaded by any murderer or terrorist. These parts can be printed at home without serial numbers, evading background checks and detection.

Congress must act to stop this horrifying threat to American safety. Democrats have introduced the Untraceable Firearms Act and the 3D Printed Gun Safety Act to outlaw these "ghost guns."
Sign the petition to Congress. Stop untraceable 3D printed guns.

Defense Distributed's blueprints for a fully-functional plastic gun include one small piece of non-functional steel to comply with federal law.

But dangerous criminals can use those blueprints and make a gun without any metal -- a gun that completely evades metal detectors.

That's why law enforcement is sounding the alarm.

Maricopa County, Arizona Sheriff Paul Penzone calls these guns "a clear and present danger to public safety." And Dane County, Wisconsin Sheriff Dave Mahoney says "I'm confident this would result in the loss of life of a child."

Our safety is at stake. Sign the petition to Congress. Stop untraceable 3D printed guns.

Just a few days after crying poor in the press, the NRA is launching a seven-figure ad buy — all targeting swing Senators ahead of the vote on Judge Kavanaugh.

We knew it was coming. They know they’ve got their man in Kavanaugh. And the truth is, the only thing that’s standing in the way of him getting seated on the Supreme Court is what we’re willing to do about it. So we have to ask:

The Giffords PAC today helps us serve as a counterweight to the NRA in this fight? The American people are with us. Even in states the NRA is targeting. If we can get our message out, we can hold these votes.

Everything is on the line in this Supreme Court fight. If Judge Kavanaugh is seated, we could see decades of work to strengthen gun laws undermined. His presence on the court would gravely jeopardize public safety and it could make it near impossible for Congress to pass a law the courts won’t overturn.

For twenty-five years, I served at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives -- arresting and bringing people into court who I know would have killed someone with a gun later that night if they had the opportunity.

Today, I am the Senior Policy Advisor at Giffords. And over the past week, I’ve fielded a number of questions online about 3D printed guns. So I thought it would be useful to answer some of them, and then ask you to take action on this important issue:

Question: Aren’t the floodgates already open now that thousands of people have already downloaded the file?
Yes, it is true, thousands of files have already been downloaded over the internet. But the truth is, those files are going to get better and more intricate over time. They are going to share information on how to download and print more lethal types of firearms. So while I am concerned about the release of the files already on the internet, I am more concerned about the files that are coming next.

Question: What is the round capacity of 3D printable guns?
Well, the answer to that questions depends on when. Today, probably a single round, maybe two. But I imagine that as technology evolves these 3D printed guns will function almost as well as the guns someone can buy today.

Question: Haven’t people been able to manufacture guns that don’t violate the National Firearms Act in their homes for a long time already?

Yes, it is true. It has long been legal to manufacture a gun in your home for a long time now. But to do so, you had to be very good at machinery. You had to know how to use metals. I was an ATF agent for 25 years and don’t think I could do it. It was very hard to do. But this is a major evolution. The idea that you can download a schematic, purchase a commercial printer and have a gun made at your home is a very major evolution.

So there you have it. 3D printed guns are a major concern today, and will only evolve into a greater concern with the passing of time. That means Congress has to act, and soon. Add your name if you agree:

Congress must act: Sign Giffords petition calling on Congress to pass legislation banning 3D printed guns.

It’s so ridiculous I honestly couldn’t believe it was real. And I’ve been fighting tooth and nail to stop it ever since.

Without warning or explanation, the Trump State Department gave the green light for a company in Texas to publish downloadable plans for 3-D printed plastic guns - starting August 1st.

That’s right. Plastic guns you can create at home that load, fire, shoot and kill, but are untraceable, nearly undetectable, and don’t require a background check. Even the blueprint for an AR-15 – the assault rifle used in the Parkland school massacre – is available online for download by anyone – including terrorists, extremists, criminals and, God forbid, another mass shooter.

It’s insane. We already have a gun violence problem. Downloadable guns will only supercharge the crisis.

So I immediately took action, and introduced a bill with my colleagues to block the publication of these 3D gun blueprints.

Time was ticking. But when we tried to pass it, Republicans blocked us.

CLICK TO WATCH MY FLOOR SPEECH

Thankfully a federal court in Seattle issued a temporary injunction shutting down the online depot for 3-D printed firearm blueprints. But a temporary injunction is just that. Temporary. Already, thousands of people have downloaded these deadly blueprints.

Look, whether it comes from a gun store or out of a 3D printer; if it loads like a gun, shoots like a gun, and kills like a gun - it’s a gun. And if our gun safety laws don’t keep pace with technology, printed plastic guns will flood our children’s schools, and all hell will break loose. That’s why we have to keep fighting to outlaw these downloadable weapons.

Your role in this is to be loud and outraged – to keep talking about it. Here are 3 small things you can do online to help raise awareness:

Share this article about our legislation to #StopDownloadable guns. Share on facebook here, and/or share on Twitter here.
Tag one of your friends on Instagram who needs to learn about this issue in this video I posted here. Putting your friend’s handle in the comments will help more people see this video and learn about the issue.
TUNE IN to my Facebook Live tomorrow at 11 AM from Cliffside Park Elementary School, where I’ll be highlighting how 3D printed guns put our children and communities at-risk.