Don’t get me wrong: I love flowers, especially on Mother’s Day.

But the one thing every mother REALLY wants — and not just on Mother’s Day — is to know that her children are going to be able to safely grow up into young men and women. Unfortunately, too many of our children are put at risk by gun violence. I should know — I’m not only a mother and a grandmother but also a former school counselor who has seen the impact of gun violence on children and families.

The Tacoma City Council voted Tue‌sd‌ay nig‌ht to give all of the mothers in Tacoma — like me — an early Mother’s Day present by ensuring gun shows held there in the future will require a background check for all gun sales. That’s important because there will be more gun shows at the Dome this year. But that’s just in Tacoma. We need to protect families in all of Washington.

For that we need to vote Yes on 594 — and make sure that anyone buying a gun in Washington passes the same background check.

This Mother’s Day, do something that will make all moms breathe a little easier. Sign our Mother’s Day card committing to pass 594.

It’s a simple thing.

But knowing that thousands of other Washingtonians are ready to step up and make commonsense reforms to our gun laws to ensure our families’ safety is incredibly important.

And it means a lot to me — and moms all over the state.

Tacoma was just the beginning. Let’s make it happen statewide.

Sign our Mother’s Day card — and let your mom know that you’re going to fight to make all Washington families safer from gun violence.

Thank you,

Leanne Kennedy
Mother and Grandmother
Tacoma, Washington

P.S. Of course, once you’ve signed our Mother’s Day card, and committed to pass 594, it might be a good idea to ALSO send your mom flowers, or take her to brunch, or whatever else she likes. 🙂