Earlier this month a tragic shooting in Tucson, AZ targeting Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords killed six people and injured 13. The senseless attack left us grappling with many questions, but one thing is very clear: Whatever you believe about gun laws, we should all be able to agree that we should do everything possible to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and the mentally ill.

Unfortunately, a broken system of background checks and wide enforcement loopholes make it difficult to keep guns out of the wrong hands. Please join us, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, and others in calling on Congressional leaders to enact reforms now:

Here is the Petition:

Dear Representative / Senator,

In the wake of the recent shootings in Tucson, I was upset to learn that Congress has long tolerated wide loopholes in the laws meant to keep guns out of the hands of criminals, drug abusers, the mentally ill.  I'm calling on you to immediately close these gaps by taking two critical steps:

1) Get all the names of people who should be prohibited from buying a gun into the background check system.

2) Close the loopholes in the background check system.

Without taking these steps, the gun control laws intended to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous individuals are rendered practically meaningless.  Because Jared Lee Loughner wasn't placed in the database for a previous drug conviction, he was able to purchase the gun he used to target Congresswoman Giffords, kill six, and wound 13.

That is to say nothing of the 34 Americans each day who are murdered with guns -- many of which have not been legally obtained.  We can't accept the flaws in our background check system that lead to these tragic deaths.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]