Today is Valentine's Day. We're holding our loved ones close and remembering the Parkland families.

One year ago today, a gunman entered Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland and shot to death 17 of their students and educators, injuring 17 more. And over these last 12 months, guns have continued to devastate families and communities across the country. 

Today, as we give valentines to our loved ones, let's also give a valentine to the Parkland families — and to all families who have lost loved ones to gun violence — by joining our voices in a powerful call for action.

Call Congress and demand universal background checks now. We just launched some cool new tech that makes calling quick and easy - you don't even have to dial. Check it out!

This Valentine's Day, we demand #LoveNotBullets.

We're celebrating love, which sustains us, uplifts us, and gives our lives meaning.

Guns are designed to do exactly the opposite. They exist to maim and kill, bringing loss, suffering, and despair. Yet, our elected leaders have sat back and allowed American gun violence rates to keep climbing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported that guns kill close to 40,000 people every year, a record high. 

Express love this Valentine's Day by calling your elected leaders in Congress and telling them that you want universal background checks NOW to keep your loved ones safe.

Right now, we have an opportunity to begin reversing the rising trend of gun violence by, at minimum, denying access to firearms to people with histories of violence.

The bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019 (H.R. 8) has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives, and the Background Check Expansion Act has been introduced in the U.S. Senate.

According to a recent Quinnipiac University poll, 97% of those polled support requiring background checks for all gun buyers. And in states that passed comprehensive background check legislation and reporting systems experienced lower rates of gun-related violent crime and suicide. [6] It’s no longer a question of “will this work?” We know it will, and Congress needs to step up to make it the law of the land now.

Call Congress now.

For Valentine's day, help us build our voice of love calling for safety for our families and communities by forwarding this email to your friends and family and inviting them to join us.

We demand #LoveNotBullets this Valentine's Day and every day.

Together, we will never stop fighting for the safety of our families and loved ones.