January 23, 2013

Dear Friends:
 
                It’s time to march for common-sense gun safety laws to end the slaughter across America.
 
                I’m joining the March on Washington for Gun Control this Saturday, January 26—an exciting grassroots upsurge of families across America to demand a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines and for urgently needed measures like licensing of firearms.  The march is supporting both federal legislation and the state bills that I’m working to pass in Annapolis.
 
                Will you join me starting at 8:45 AM in Veterans’ Plaza at the Silver Spring Civic Building on Saturday for a pre-march rally?  We will assemble at 8:45 AM, talk, chant, and sing (with some of our community’s leading folk singers), and then leave for the Silver Spring Metro by 9:30 AM and travel down to the Capitol together.  We will assemble there at 10:00 AM and march--in a silent procession, holding signs with the names of victims of gun violence—down Constitution Avenue all the way to the Washington Monument.  I know that we will bejoined by Congressman Chris Van Hollen, a huge delegation of marchers traveling to Washington from Newtown, Connecticut, and actress Kathleen Turner.
 
                I am hoping that we can bring hundreds of people from District 20 and thousands from Montgomery County to this important march. Will you teach your kids how to speak out for change, assemble and petition for a redress of grievances?  Will you join us in showing Congress that the PTA is stronger than the NRA?  

                Let me know if you can make it and I’ll see you on Saturday!
 
                                                                    

                                                                      All best wishes,

Jamie Raskin  

           
Ps: I am working on this with Amy Cress, a constituent who has been organizing with the new group One Million Moms for Gun Control, and my friend Neeta Datt, activist extraordinaire with Organizing for Action (formerly Organizing for America).   You can reach them by email here.