It is time to pressure the Republican party to choose between serving the American people or obeying their NRA masters, which amounts to letting terrorists obtain all the weapons they want..

As a long-time customer of TD Ameritrade, I was dismayed to learn that TD Bank and TD Securities has financed Smith & Wesson, gun manufacturers, whose firearms were used in the San Bernardino massacre. I join Public Advocate of the City of New York Letitia James, who cites $280 million in loans TD Bank has facilitated for Smith & Wesson in calling for the dismantling of this support. Gun violence is a horrifying and all-too-frequent reality; in a country that now has more guns than people, as a Congressional Research Report has found, banking customers, clients, and shareholders must stand against the financial support gun manufacturers receive. TD Bank and TD Securities: we call on you to back the corporate responsibility you promote with action, and relinquish support for firearms manufacturers.

The NRA’s stranglehold on Congress is unbelievable. Here’s how bad it is: The federal government maintains a watchlist of suspected terrorists. It’s the list we use to keep bad guys off planes. But this is crazy: The federal government can’t use the suspected terrorist watchlist in background checks for guns. You read that right – suspected terrorists are free and clear to buy guns in America, thanks to the NRA. Sign the Petition: Tell Congress to ban gun sales to people on the terrorism watch list!

Gun ownership should be subject to sensible regulation. President Obama recently called on Congress to pass legislation preventing someone who is on a "no-fly" list from being able to purchase a firearm. He also called for stricter regulations for assault weapons. These common sense proposals for gun ownership make sense.

By one count, 355 mass shootings (with 4 or more dead) have occurred in the U.S. this year. That comes to more than one every day. The Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence estimates more than 100,000 Americans are victims of gun violence every year. According to polls, most Americans agree that guns -- particularly assault weapons like those used in San Bernardino on Wednesday -- are too easily accessible. No gun control could completely prevent mass shootings, but today’s gun laws ease the path to such tragedies. Too many of our senators and representatives pay more attention to the financial muscle of the gun lobby than to the daily slaughter of innocent fellow citizens and the clear wishes of their constituents. Last year alone, the National Rifle Association invested $28 million in “independent expenditures” aimed at supporting some candidates and defeating others. The gun lobby backs these political contributions with outlays to influence those in office. Since 2000, pro-gun groups have spent more than $101 million in lobbying on Capitol Hill. The pro-gun forces are so strong that in 1996 they persuaded Congress to ban federal funding of research into the causes of gun violence. That ban remains. America funds research aimed at finding ways to limit the damage done by all sorts of other dangerous products, from automobiles to toys, but not a penny goes to study the public health dangers posed by the 300 million-plus firearms in circulation. How much more must the nation endure before Congress rouses itself?

I'm embarrassed and saddened by the gun violence and the lack of regulation of arms in the United States.

We originally posted this petition after San Bernardino. Thankfully, some Democratic Members of Congress have taken up our message after the Orlando massacre. “God isn’t fixing this.” We need action to stop the senseless gun violence in this country. It’s not often that we find ourselves in agreement with the tabloid New York Daily News, but today’s front page perfectly expresses our thoughts about the GOP reaction to gun violence. The print headline said simply, “God isn’t fixing this.” The online headline said “GOP presidential candidates offer prayers — not solutions on gun control — after San Bernardino massacre.” These headlines are responding to the statements by GOP leaders after yesterday’s mass shootings in San Bernadino. Every Republican presidential candidate was either silent or offered only prayers and platitudes—no recognition that they have a responsibility to act to stop the uniquely American problem of gun violence. “Your ‘thoughts’ should be about steps to take to stop this carnage,” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn) posted on Twitter. “Your ‘prayers’ should be for forgiveness if you do nothing — again.” If you agree that we need more than prayers, please send this message to Congress.

Fox news instigated domestic terror.

While Greg Abbott, the Governor of the State of Texas, is busy protecting Texans from terrorists by banning the settlement of any Syrian refugees in our state, thousands of Texans are injured or killed by legally obtained firearms. Until the governor and his administration can guarantee these weapons won't fall into the wrong hands, we feel there should be a ban on all future sales.

People's lives are more important than the flow of money from gun manufacturers to the NRA to politicians.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel is pushing to increase the mandatory minimum sentence for gun crimes from one year to three years. There is no evidence that this approach has a significant effect on gun violence. Illinois should reduce gun violence through strategies that work: improve economic conditions (increase jobs) and reduce the number of firearms in circulation, particularly firearms that are not legally owned (registered).

Keep our citizens safe.