'Tell and Compel' - Adding An Economic Lever Strategy To Force Sane Gun Laws Now

Are we left with a situation we cannot change?

Courtesy: illinoiscriminallawlawyer.com

(WASHINGTON DC) - In the 19 years since the Brady Background Checks were instituted, despite Columbine, Virginia Tech, Ft. Hood, Tucson, Aurora, The Sikh Temple, and now Newtown—not one law has been passed at the federal level to reduce gun violence. In fact, just the opposite has occurred. Unfortunately, there is now the growing & looming reality that this sorry trend will continue. Since Newtown, some states have tightened gun laws like New York, Colorado and Connecticut, but many more have loosened them, such as Arkansas, Montana and Mississippi.

Are we left then with a situation we cannot change? Are we helpless observers, doomed to the insanity we have been forced to live with by the NRA and pro-gun extremists? The answer is unequivocally: NO.

Polls consistently show there are 100 million Americans that want sane gun laws. Of these 100 million Americas, they all have one very important item in common—they spend money. By focusing their buying power, we can force the Federal Legislators to do the right thing instead of presenting all the rational reasons and having, in most cases, virtually no chance to succeed. Polls also consistently show that of the four million NRA members, more than 75% want sane gun laws. That means there are, at most, only one million extremists that do not want any gun laws whatsoever.

The outcome is clear; 100 million vs. 1 million is no contest.  It is a paradigm shift.  Instead of pursuing a strategy of asking legislators to do the right thing, I am now adding a strategy of telling legislators to do the right thing and if they do not, then compelling them with an economic lever.

National Gun Victims Action Council (NGAC) is collaborating with the Episcopal Peace Fellowship and the Fellowship of Reconciliation (more than 60 peace fellowships of virtually every religion) to add the TELL AND COMPEL economic lever to the efforts to get sane gun laws now.  It cannot be defeated and everybody can easily participate.  I introduced TELL AND COMPEL at a talk I gave at Georgetown University three weeks ago.

We are asking people to sign a pledge on our website, www.gunvictimsaction.org, that when a situation is identified where Compel action is needed, they will stop spending money at the identified entity i.e., corporation, group, state, etc, that is supporting anything other than sane gun laws.

Everyone on our side who has heard about Tell and Compel has had their spirits lifted and their energy renewed; they feel personally empowered.  They realize they are part of the power to effect the change. This will be very important when, as expected, very little—if anything—happens at the Federal level to reduce gun violence when congress returns from its recess.

(Elliot Fineman, the CEO of NGAC, was a Strategic Marketing Advisor to Fortune 500 companies. On December 30, 2006, his son was murdered by a stranger while dining in a San Diego restaurant with his wife. The murderer was a paranoid schizophrenic who had legally obtained the gun. When he was able to function, he closed his practice and brought his skill set to the gun violence area. This led him to form NGAC which can be found at www.gunvcitmsaction.org .)