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Dear Editor,

Since Congress continues to fail us, President Obama recently answered our call to reduce gun violence by taking executive actions that will save lives in cities nationwide and right here in Massachusetts.

Volunteers with the Massachusetts chapter of Moms Demand Action – as well as moms, survivors, and other advocates across the country – helped to drive more than 15,000 calls that shut down the White House switchboard as we urged the President to take executive action to reduce gun violence. The President’s orders will narrow the ‘unlicensed sale’ loophole – through which millions of guns are sold each year – by clarifying which gun sellers need to get a license and follow all the rules that licensed gun dealers need to follow.  Simply, if you’re making a living selling guns, you should be running background checks.

The President’s orders will help reduce gun violence in our cities by giving law enforcement what they need to crack down on traffickers who fuel the black market for guns that flood our streets and endanger our communities. But millions of guns will still be sold without a background check – that’s why we still need Congress and our state lawmakers to step up and close the loopholes that make it easy for dangerous people to get guns.

And that is why I will continue to fight for a safer Massachusetts. We will not rest until every gun sale includes a background check. Massachusetts lives depend on it.

Kara Waite
Somerville, MA