The Kansas City Shooting at the Super Bowl Rally 1 dead, 20 injured, including children
After the Sandy Hook shooting, millions of people sent letters of support and gifts to the victims’ families. It became a burden, and much of it had to be incinerated. Instead of sending victims letters, Heart Projects wants to send politicians letters demanding change.
Here’s how it works:
1. Decide how you want to reduce gun violence: better mental health care, anti-violence programs, volunteer gun buyback programs, gun safety awareness campaigns, and of course, stricter gun laws. 2. Send physical letters — not emails — to the Speaker of the House of Representatives in the state of the most recent shooting. Physical letters are harder to ignore. The representative of Missouri is Dean Plocher. MO House of Representatives 201 West Capitol Avenue Room 308 Jefferson City MO 65101 3. Below, we've listed other politicians and groups who could have prevented the most recent shooting. 4. Do not send blank letters. This will lessen their impact. 5. Share what you wrote with others. Consider posting a video of yourself reading it. 6. Post a comment on our Facebook or Reddit page of how many letters you sent so we can keep track of the success of this project.
Let’s make our voices heard!
Why Send Letters
Staff reads and tallies concerns - While busy elected officials rely on staff to handle correspondence, their staff carefully reviews, logs, and tallies the issues constituents care about. Those tallies and summaries do reach the politicians.
Volume matters - If elected officials receive a flood of mail on an issue, staff will absolutely make sure they are aware of the volume and depth of public interest or concern. High letter volumes can spur politicians to take notice and even act.
Input shapes policy - Public contact provides real-world perspectives that can influence policy positions. Elected leaders rely on such grassroots feedback to guide decisions. Your experiences matter.
Civic participation counts - Writing to your representatives is an important civic action. Even if form letter replies are sent, engaging in democracy deserves an earnest attempt.
Why Contact Speaker of the House of Representatives
Influence Over Mental Health Care
The Speaker of the House of Representatives in a state can significantly influence mental health care and the allocation of resources for mental health services. Here are some of the key ways a House Speaker has power:
Crafting the state's budget - The Speaker plays a leading role in budget negotiations and appropriating state funding towards agencies and programs related to mental healthcare.
Controlling which bills advance - The Speaker decides which mental health bills proposed by state representatives get committee hearings, votes, and make it to the House floor for consideration.
Influencing fellow party members - Speakers set their party's legislative priorities and can strongly encourage fellow partisan House members to support or oppose key mental health funding/policy proposals.
Determining the agenda - Speakers control floor debate time and scheduling, giving higher priority mental health bills more attention from the full State House.
Negotiating compromises - The Speaker meets regularly with State Senators and the Governor, leveraging House priorities to craft deals, including on mental health reforms.
Influence Over Gun Safety Laws
Based on the power and responsibilities over gun legislation in Missouri, the single government official who would likely have the greatest direct influence over state gun laws is the Speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives, currently Representative Dean Plocher.
As Speaker of the House, Rep. Plocher has tremendous sway over which gun-related bills get introduced, make it out of committee, and get brought to the House floor for consideration. While the State Senate President Pro Tem and Governor also play critical roles in enacting legislation, the Speaker determines which bills even start the process in the state House in the first place.
Additionally, Speaker Plocher leads the majority party and sets the policy agenda. He determines how much time and political capital is expended debating and whipping votes around gun bills. The Speaker’s public stance on issues also garners significant attention.
So while contacting your local State Representative and Senator to express your views can’t hurt, Rep. Dean Plocher remains the single most pivotal legislator in the gun lawmaking process statewide. Expressing your concerns directly to the Speaker’s office around firearm policies carries the most leverage, since he ultimately decides which gun laws the full Missouri House considers in session.
Therefore, focusing advocacy efforts on Speaker Plocher puts your concerns directly in front of the House member most capable of directly influencing the introduction, debate, and passage of impactful firearm legislation in the state of Missouri. Contacting his office should be the top priority for constituents passionately concerned about this issue.
Other Influences of Gun Safety Laws in Missouri
The Governor of Missouri: Currently Governor Mike Parson, as the head of the state's executive branch, has the power to sign or veto any gun legislation that makes it through the state's legislative chambers. P.O. Box 720 Jefferson City, MO 65102 Phone: (573) 751-3222 The President Pro Tempore of the Missouri Senate: Currently Senator Caleb Rowden. As Senate leader, he controls which gun bills and amendments get priority and make it to the floor for debate and voting by the full State Senate. 201 W. Capitol Ave., Rm. 326 Jefferson City, Missouri 65101 573-751-3931
State Senators and Representatives: These elected legislators craft, propose, debate and ultimately vote on the gun laws that could take effect across the state. Key committee leaders and party leaders help shape the discussion. List of names: https://www.senate.mo.gov/Senators/Directory
State Attorney General: Currently Attorney General Andrew Bailey. His office plays a pivotal role in legally enforcing Missouri's gun laws already on the books. His opinions also carry weight in legislative debate on proposed changes. Supreme Court Building, 207 W. High P.O. Box 899 Jefferson City, Missouri 65102 573-751-3321
Advocacy Groups: Missouri Chapter of Moms Demand Action, Missouri Brady Campaign, Missouri Coalition Against Gun Violence, and Community Anti-Violence Education Fund.
Other Influences of Mental Health Care
The Governor of Missouri, Mike Parson - As the head of the state executive branch, the current Governor, Mike Parson, and his administration help craft the budget and priorities around mental health spending and programming. P.O. Box 720 Jefferson City, MO 65102 Phone: (573) 751-3222
Members of the Missouri State Legislature - As the lawmakers responsible for authoring funding bills and health care laws, state senators and representatives play a major role in allocating resources toward mental health services. List of names
The Director of the Missouri Department of Mental Health - Currently Debra Walker, she and her department leadership set strategic goals and initiatives in providing mental health programs across the state. 1706 East Elm Street Jefferson City, MO 65101 P.O. Box 687, Jefferson City, MO 65102
Advocacy Groups - Nonprofits focused on mental illness support policies, lobby legislators, and provide direct education and services to those struggling with mental health disorders.
Civic Leaders - Influential business, faith, nonprofit and other civic leaders can prioritize and mobilize community attention and additional funding sources for improved mental health care access.