As one of your outraged and deeply concerned constituents, I write you to take action now to fight racial injustice and end laws that embolden and protect vigilantes and possession of needless and deadly assault weapons. Today’s verdict in the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse shows that we need to recommit ourselves to redefining public safety and keeping guns out of our political system.
Sadly, we live in a country where the rules are different for white vigilantes and Black and Brown people. We live in a country where the NRA’s “shoot first, ask questions second” mentality is putting us all at greater risk of political violence by the day.
Along with millions of others, I am calling on you to immediately conduct a federal review of laws across the country that empower and protect armed vigilantes and work with state partners to overturn them. You must also nominate another director to head up the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and task that individual with leading a federal response to interstate gun threats and working with ATF field offices, local law enforcement, and the community to prevent threats from armed extremists.
