It is my hope that the symbolic value of a flag so frequently at half staff will motivate change that recognizes the value of American lives.

With each new mass shooting, and on the heels of the horrendous shooting at Umpqua Community College, our collective anguish is drowned out by resignation that no action will be taken to stop the next shooting. Far too often we give candidates a pass – in the name of respect for cultural traditions, hunting and sport shooting, and the 2nd Amendment, we permit candidates to dodge the question of their support for common-sense gun safety legislation. But these killings must stop.

Too many Americans have died in mass shootings, from Columbine to Aurora and from Sandy Hook to Umpqua. The President continues to call on Congress to act, and yet they do nothing to pass common sense gun laws -- laws, which are supported by a vast majority of responsible gun owners. Until Congress finally moves forward with legislation aimed at preventing further tragedies, we demand that they erect a monument to the hundreds of Americans who have died because they chose inaction. Join us in calling on a national monument honoring the lives we've lost, located in Washington, DC near Capitol Hill.

Bullets are not protected by the Second Amendment and guns are not as lethal without bullets. It would compensate the insurance lobby for the excess they lose in health care. The insurance lobby will show the NRA for what they are. Facts and risk will be made evident to all.

Guns are a public health issue, and easy access to guns MUST be stopped. Holes in our background check system still exist online, in newspaper ads, at gun shows, and between individuals. All of our elected officials, Democrats and Republicans, need to go beyond words and prayer and take action to stop the next tragedy before it happens. A background check bill is the bare minimum, but it's a good start.

The Campaign to Keep Guns Off Campus and the California Chapters of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence are partnering to ask Governor Brown to Sign SB 707 and stand up for safe K-12 schools and college campuses by limiting who can carry loaded, hidden guns in these places. Governor Brown has until October 11, 2015 to sign SB 707 and he needs to hear from his constituents right away. Currently, 39 states and Washington, DC prohibit people with concealed carry weapons permits (CCW) from possessing loaded, concealed handguns within K-12 school zones and 18 states (and DC) specifically prohibit concealed weapons on campus, while 24 allow colleges to determine concealed weapons' policy and 8 states allow guns on campus in some form. California is not one of these states but recently, the California legislature passed SB 707, legislation that would change current law so that CCW licensees could NOT carry loaded, hidden guns on school grounds or on a college campus. Certain exemptions to carry in school zones are made for law enforcement and military personnel. Please take a moment to sign this petition and share it. Thank you. Below is a list of organizations supporting passage of SB 707 California College and University Police Chiefs Association Association of California School Administrators Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence (California Chapters) California Correctional Supervisors Organization California Narcotics Officers California Police Chiefs Association California School Boards Association California School Employees Association California State University Campaign to Keep Guns off Campus Coalition Against Gun Violence, Santa Barbara County County of Santa Barbara Courage Campaign Davis College Democrats Davis Joint Unified School District Fraternal Order of Police, California State Lodge Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence Long Beach Police Officers Association Los Angeles Police Protective League Los Angeles County Probation Officers Union Los Angeles County Professional Peace Officers Association Los Angeles Unified School District Peace Officers Research Association Physicians for Social Responsibility Retired and Disabled Police of America Riverside Sheriffs' Association Sacramento County Deputy Sheriffs' Association Santa Ana Police Officers Association University of California, Office of the President Violence Prevention Coalition Women Against Gun Violence Youth Alive!

There is absolutely no reason to allow concealed weapons to be brought into a grocery store. Mariano's has so far refused to ban concealed weapons. Let's change that.

The U.S. Justice Department has awarded the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the official trade association of the firearms industry, $2.4 million for its “Project ChildSafe” program, which it says protects children by supplying gunlocks to households. Gunlocks are important, but there are other giveaway programs the DOJ could support. Just as important is advancing gun safety policies, against which the NSSF has been one of the strongest opponents. For example, at a time when more than 20,000 children go to the emergency room every year with gun injuries, the NSSF has been among the most aggressive advocates for loosening gun laws and getting firearms into as many hands as possible to expand gun sales. It has strongly opposed universal background checks, and works to “rebrand” military-bred assault rifles like the AR-15 and AK-47 as “modern sporting rifles.” Most recently, it joined the NRA in suing Seattle over a sales tax on guns and ammunition designed to help offset the costs of gun violence in the city. Giving the NSSF gun safety grants is like entrusting the tobacco industry with taxpayer dollars to protect the public against lung cancer. By doing so, the DOJ only helps the gun industry project an image of being committed to gun safety, when in reality its top commitment is to expanding gun sales. In a nation where 33,000 Americans die each year from guns, our tax dollars should be spent supporting those working to reduce gun violence, not helping facilitate it.

My husband is a Special Forces veteran, a former member of the 82nd Airborne. He supports this issue as well; he was trained as a sniper and believes in gun control.

We are well aware of the damage gun violence has wrought in this country. We cannot go a day without a mass shooting. Yet our legislators refuse to act! Enough is enough. Nobody is going to take anyone's guns away, BUT we can't allow the exemptions from consequences to continue. The Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, signed by Bush and praised by the NRA, needs to be repealed. So, too, do gun owners need to be held liable for the actions committed with their guns. After Sandy Hook, Aurora, Virginia Tech, and too many other tragedies to list - irresponsible gun owners, retailers and manufacturers should be held liable for the harm their irresponsibility causes. Allow the innocent American people harmed to personally sue them for damages, and remove special treatment given to the gun industry protecting them from lawsuits. We wouldn't exempt any other industry that kills as many Americans; they don't deserve special treatment.

January 1, 2016 The Georgia gun lobby and many members of the General Assembly are determined to force Georgia's colleges and universities to allow loaded, concealed handguns on all college and university campuses, both public and private, in our state. In spite of overwhelming opposition from students, faculty, campus law enforcement, parents, and against the recommendations of policy experts, they continue to aggressively push bills like HB 544 year after year. We believe Georgia’s college and university administrators and campus security experts are best equipped to evaluate and make policy decisions that effect their campus communities, not opportunistically motivated lawmakers. Over the last several years, the Campaign to Keep Guns Off Campus and our coalition partners have vigorously fought back against legislation that would force concealed handguns on campus and we need your help this year, more than ever, to stop HB 544. Please sign this petition that says No to guns on campus and be sure to share it with a friend, too. Thank you.

Americans have the right to feel safe at school, at work, at the movies, at church! We need to do better for this country and make it safe for everyone.