Congressional Recess is Still On: Contact Your Lawmakers during District Work Period and Tell Them to Oppose Anti-Gun Legislation

For the next week, Congress will be out on a District Work Period.  During this time, your U.S. senators and House members will be back home in their respective states and districts.  The Senate announced last week that anti-gun legislation will be heard on the floor the week of April 8, so this is a great opportunity for you, as a constituent, to contact your lawmaker to personally voice your strong opposition to pending legislation that would ban popular semi-automatic firearms, standard capacity magazines, and private gun sales. 

Please contact your lawmakers' district offices and set up a meeting with them.  Remember, they work for you.  Let your voice be heard.  If you aren't able to personally visit, please be sure to call or write them.  Whatever you do, please act now!  And when your lawmakers return to Congress on April 8, please contact them at their D.C. offices and tell them to oppose any attacks on your Second Amendment rights.

If you do not know the number for your lawmakers' district offices, you can use the "Write Your Representatives" tool at www.NRAILA.org, or call the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division at (800) 392-8683.  Or you can call your U.S. Senators and Representative in their D.C. offices at (202) 224-3121 (Senate), or (202) 225-3121 (House).

Many lawmakers will likely host town hall meetings in their districts during this break.  Such meetings are a prime opportunity for you to ask your lawmakers to state their position on current firearm-related legislation for the record, in an open and public forum. The following guidelines should be helpful when planning to attend town hall meetings.

1. Get on the Invitation List and Attend the Meetings. Contact your lawmakers and ask for a list of scheduled meetings and request to be put on the invitation list for future town hall meetings. When you receive word that a town hall meeting is scheduled, be sure to make plans to attend, and share this information with your fellow Second Amendment supporters and the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division so we may do the same and encourage them to attend as well.

2. Prepare Questions Ahead of Time. Have specific questions in mind, such as asking for your legislator`s position on a specific bill or issue (e.g., S. 374, the "Fix Gun Checks Act of 2013"--which would criminalize virtually all private firearm sales).  

3. Get an Answer. Ask your question clearly, politely and as simply as possible, e.g., "What is your position on S. 374?"   If your legislator doesn`t answer your question sufficiently, politely repeat the question.

4. Follow Up with an Email or Letter. Whether you had the opportunity to ask your question or not, follow up in writing with your lawmaker. Let him or her know you attended the town hall meeting. Ask or reiterate your question if you didn`t have an opportunity to do so at the meeting, or address his response to any firearm-related questions other constituents may have asked. This will make it difficult for your lawmakers to ignore you and your concerns. When you contact your lawmaker, request a reply.  This will allow you to document his or her position.  Be sure to share any responses you receive with the NRA-ILA Grassroots Division.

Once again, if you get a chance to meet with your lawmakers, please be sure to strongly urge them to oppose any anti-gun legislation, especially Sen. Charles Schumer’s (D-N.Y.) S. 374, the "Fix Gun Checks Act of 2013"--which would criminalize virtually all private firearm sales, even temporary transfers--and Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s (D-Calif.) S. 150, the "Assault Weapons Ban of 2013."

To identify and contact your legislators in Washington, D.C., you can use the "Write Your Reps" feature at www.NRAILA.org, or you can reach your member of Congress by phone at 202-224-3121.