December 14 , 2018

On the morning of December 14, 2012, the families of Newtown readied their children for school. They made their lunches and packed their backpacks. It was the start of another day at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Nothing that morning signified the terror, heartache and loss that would engulf that community.

By that evening, Sandy Hook would become synonymous with the worst school shooting in U.S. history. There were prayers, vigils and call for action. Congress came close that year to doing something by trying to pass the bipartisan Manchin-Toomey expanded background check bill. But it failed by six votes.

Since that December day, there have been at least 1,917 mass shootings. In the six years following, there has only been one full calendar week without a mass shooting. This year set a record for school gun violence since data was first collected in 1970. Yet Congress has done nothing.

A majority of American voters, including Republicans, support stronger gun policies. However, those who oppose stricter measures have long been more passionate about the issue. They vote on that issue and they call Congress.

This year was different. We called, marched and voted, and it worked. Candidates supporting common sense gun laws defeated NRA-backed candidates.

The House has a Gun Violence Prevention Task Force to lead the effort to halt gun violence. The GOP-controlled Congress stymied the task force's ability to make progress. That is about to change. Soon-to-be Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has pledged to make gun violence safety a top priority.

Many JAC-supported candidates such as Reps. Jason Crow (D-CO), Susie Lee (D-NV), Elaine Luria (D-VA), and Lucy McBath (D-GA), have joined the Task Force.

In the Senate, it will be an uphill battle to pass an expanded background check bill and other gun safety bills. But our fight must continue.

We need to make sure Congress hears from our side. We must be the voices for the 2,175 victims killed since Sandy Hook - and the more than 100 people that will be killed each day from gun violence if we don't do something now.


Source: Vox.com

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Do you know a high school or college student who would like to intern at JAC during the school year or next summer? Call the JAC office at 847.433.5999 about opportunities.

ISRAEL
Congress Passes Bill Targeting Use of Human Shields by Israel's Enemies 
  
The House of Representatives on Tuesday passed legislation targeting individuals responsible for Hamas and Hezbollah's use of human shields as a war tactic in battles with Israel. The passage follows approval of the bill in the Senate. The legislation, titled the Sanctioning of the Use of Civilians as Defenseless Shields Act, will now go to the president's desk and await his signature.   
Continued Reading

ANTI-SEMITISM & BDS
Why Anti-Zionism Is Malign 
 
Criticize Israeli policies? Sure. It's done every day in Israel itself by the media, nongovernment groups, and in the Knesset. But that's a far cry from treating Israel differently from any other country in the world, which is at the core of the anti-Zionist and B.D.S. outlook.  
Continued Reading

CHOICE
Kavanaugh and Roberts Join Liberals to Reject Planned Parenthood Case

The Supreme Court signaled this week it is not anxious to revisit the abortion controversy in the year ahead, disappointing conservative activists who were cheered by the appointment of Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh. After weeks of debate behind closed doors, a divided court turned down appeals backed by 13 conservative states that sought to defund Planned Parenthood.   
Continued Reading

SEPARATION
California DOJ Allows Catholic Hospital Groups to Merge, Raising Questions About Patient Access 

Each one of these mergers raises critical questions about how to help preserve access to care for patients who are treated at these facilities, and how to help ensure that the care they receive is based on medical training, expertise, and standards of care.
Continued Reading

BEYOND THE CORE
Mike Pence Just Cast a Historic Tie-Breaking Vote to Confirm a Judge the ABA Called 'Not Qualified'

Vice President Mike Pence made history Tuesday with a last-second tie-breaking vote to save, rather heroically, a federal judge nominee the American Bar Association had deemed unfit to serve in that role. It was the first-ever tie-breaking vote to confirm a federal judge nominee - in this case, Jonathan Kobes, whom legal experts called a competent and capable person, just not Circuit Court judge material.   
Continued Reading



POLITICAL BYTE
We Are Former Senators. the Senate Has Long Stood in Defense of Democracy - and Must Again.
  
As former members of the U.S. Senate, Democrats and Republicans, it is our shared view that we are entering a dangerous period, and we feel an obligation to speak up about serious challenges to the rule of law, the Constitution, our governing institutions and our national security.  
FYI
How Facebook Reunited a Holocaust Survivor with the Family That Hid Her
 
Charlotte Adelman reunited with the Quatreville family in Paris in November, seventy years after the they agreed to take her in and hide her from the Nazis.
JAC II
Introducing JACII, a JAC group for young professionals, advocates, and those young at heart who are looking to get involved. Groups have started in Detroit, Chicago, and Los Angeles.

Events will feature elected officials and speakers in lively settings. JACII is by and for young people. Now is the perfect time to get involved.

Know someone who would be interested in joining or hosting a meeting? Let us know at info@jacpac.org. We will be happy to help organize a JACII in your city.
The Last Word
"Regardless of party affiliation, ideological leanings or geography, as former members of this great body, we urge current and future senators to be steadfast and zealous guardians of our democracy by ensuring that partisanship or self-interest not replace national interest."

- 44 former Senators to the incoming Senate in a bipartisan open letter 
    
 
Save the Date!
Join JAC in Washington, D.C. for our  
Annual Conference
March 12-14
More information to follow.
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(Want to host a JAC event? Contact the office and we will help organize it. 847.433.5999 or info@jacpac.org) 
Joint Action Committee for Political Affairs (JACPAC) is a pro-Israel PAC with a domestic agenda. We support a strong U.S.-Israel relationship and advocate for reproductive health and the separation of religion and state and incorporate other issues of importance to the Jewish community, including gun violence prevention and climate change. In addition to providing financial support for U.S. Senate and House campaigns, JACPAC educates our membership with outreach events designed to inform and activate their participation in the political process.
Federal law requires political committees to report the name, mailing address, occupation and employer for each individual who contributes over $200 in a calendar year. Maximum contribution per person may not exceed $5,000 per calendar year. According to law, JACPAC cannot accept corporate contributions. Membership, gifts, or other payments to JACPAC are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes.