Tell ‘Em What To Do—They Work For YOU!
by NRA Staff
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You may not be old enough to vote right now, you will be someday…and your Congressperson would prefer to still be in office when that happens. Although your state’s Senate and House representatives are in positions of power, the power that they have comes from the people who live in your state. That’s right: Your Congressperson works for you! As an American citizen, you have the right to contact your elected officials to let them know what you’d like them to do. One of the most effective ways to do this is to write them letters. Here is some advice about how to make your voice heard, even all the way off in Washington, D.C.
A letter that you write personally tends to have more impact than an online petition or a form letter. It tells the lawmaker that you care enough about the issue to spend time writing the letter. (E-mails can also be quite effective, but don’t be surprised if you receive a “form letter” response that doesn’t directly answer the points you made.)
- Write to lawmakers who represent your district. To find out where to address your letter, go to http://www.capwiz.com/nra/dbq/officials/, then fill in your ZIP code and—voila! You’ll find the mailing addresses for your representative.
- Address your letter to “The Honorable (representative’s last name),” then followed by the mailing address. You can find a sample letter here: www.nraila.org/media/misc/lawsamp.html
- When you begin your letter, be sure to start with “Dear Senator” or “Dear Representative.”
- Be specific. You should state your reason for writing in the first paragraph. If you’re writing about a particular bill, identify it with the bill number (if you know it.)
- Be polite, even if you disagree with your lawmaker’s position on an issue. Try to think of how you would want to be spoken to if the shoe was on the other foot.
- Keep your letter brief—one page or less. That would be about 300 words at most.
- Don’t exaggerate or misstate your case. Use facts. Is there an article, study or book that helps prove your point? Go ahead and mention it. Just be careful not to overdo it…you want your letter to be quick and easy to understand.
- If you’re writing the letter on a computer, run your spell-checking program. Have an adult read it over to correct any errors.
- Ask them to write back. If the letter was about a Second Amendment issue and you get a response, NRA-ILA would appreciate it if you sent a copy of the response. (The address is NRA-ILA, 11250 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax, VA, 22030.)
- Don’t limit your letter writing to complaints. If your legislator has done something good, write a letter of thanks.