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Boulder, Atlanta, H.R. 8, H.R. 1446, Marjorie Taylor Greene & Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the Supreme Court!

  • Writer: Don Lichterman
    Don Lichterman
  • Mar 23, 2021
  • 6 min read
Criminal Justice Report: Gun Safety, Death Penalty Focus, Private Prisons & the Criminal Justice System
Supreme Court agrees to hear death penalty case against Boston marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and as families in Atlanta and countless other communities are still grieving after recent tragic shootings, we're learning the details of the heartbreaking mass shooting in which at least ten people were shot and killed at a supermarket in Boulder, Colorado.
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Criminal Justice Report: Gun Safety, Death Penalty Focus, Private Prisons & the Criminal Justice System - EVERY TUESDAY AFTERNOON AT 1PM EST

We need more than thoughts and prayers from our elected leaders to end gun violence in our communities. That's why we're demanding action, and we want you to join us.


Right now, no matter where you live, there are many ways you can take action with Everytown for Gun Safety and our local Moms Demand Action volunteer chapters in all 50 states and D.C.



Two life-saving pieces of gun safety legislation will get a vote in the House this week!


Together, H.R. 8 and H.R. 1446 bills will require background checks on all gun sales and address the Charleston loophole, closing gaps in federal law that create an extreme safety risk to everyone in the United States.



Our nation's background check system has been put under unprecedented strain during the COVID-19 pandemic, making the need for these bills to become law even more pressing.

  • H.R. 8 will require background checks on all gun sales.

  • H.R. 1446 will address the Charleston loophole, named so because the Mother Emanuel AME Church shooter exploited it to acquire his firearm. It allows gun sales to proceed without a completed background check if three business days have passed; just last year, thousands of guns were sold to prohibited purchasers because of it.







With President Biden in office, our movement has a strong partner in the White House after four long years—and momentum for strong gun safety laws is already building.

This week, the House of Representatives introduced H.R. 8—a bill that requires background checks on all gun sales. In the coming weeks, we must do everything we can to ensure that life-saving background check legislation advances through Congress and arrives on President Biden's desk ready to be signed into law.


Getting background checks signed into law will require the full power of our grassroots movement. Since the introduction of H.R. 8 this week, we have already made more than 15,000 constituent calls to members of Congress, but with the House voting on it next week, we can't let up now.




The NRA has done everything in its power to stand in the way of common-sense gun safety laws that would save lives. Its bankruptcy announcement is a desperate attempt to avoid accountability for years of alleged fraud and illegal self dealing. But while the NRA's legal, financial, and political woes have only grown over the past year, the NRA continues to spread fear to sell more guns and promote dangerous gun bills across the country.



For decades, the NRA has peddled the far-right's dangerous conspiracy theories, spread fear to sell more guns, and fought life-saving gun safety measures at every turn. But this year, we have the best opportunity in a generation to defeat the NRA's dangerous agenda and pass life-saving gun laws.


With the NRA and its extremist allies continuing to pursue their dangerous "guns everywhere" agenda, your sustained support will be a huge advantage for our movement and one we will need to meet this moment.


Holding the NRA accountable and defeating its dangerous agenda will require a steady, predictable source of support.

Amanda Chase

From the Virginia Tech massacre in 2007, to the Virginia Beach shooting in 2019, to the daily gun violence in our Commonwealth, we have been hit hard by gun violence in recent decades.


And every death is painfully hard to take.


But in the last few years, Virginia has made significant progress on gun violence prevention -- by expanding background checks, implementing an Extreme Risk law, and enhancing protections for domestic violence survivors.


That’s why it’s so frustrating that Amanda Chase -- the frontrunner for the GOP nomination for Governor -- wants to eliminate all the protections we fought so hard to implement.



Terry McAuliffe 's position couldn’t be further from Chase’s. Terry McAuliffe fought a Republican legislature to pass the first meaningful gun violence prevention laws in decades, and Terry McAuliffe proposed banning the sale of assault weapons. Terry McAuliffe wants to strengthen the laws we already have in place, not erase them.


On the other hand, Amanda Chase wants to turn our Commonwealth into a warzone with fewer safety restrictions and more guns on our streets and in our neighborhoods.

It’s sickening.

Marjorie Taylor Greene Hosts Gun Giveaway After Biden Calls on Congress to Pass Gun Reform Legislation

Our companies are known for creating products that enhance people's lives. Through Sunset Corporation of America and its companies, we’re equally dedicated to improving lives.  Our commitment extends to helping local communities, fostering better educational systems, supporting the arts and culture, helping disadvantaged youth, protecting and improving the environment, animal welfare, wildlife issues and encouraging employee volunteerism.

The Sustainable Action Network (SAN), A Don Lichterman non-profit organization dedicated to building a global community raising awareness of corruption, injustice and the need for action across a full range of issues impacting people and animal/wildlife welfare around the world, such as conservation, climate change, campaign law, lobbying, government action and rescue work. SAN’s vision is to create safer world, free from political, environmental, and social oppression, where all the inhabitants of Earth can live in harmony within their own natural environments. Our commitment extends to helping local communities, fostering better educational systems, supporting the arts and culture, helping disadvantaged youth, protecting and improving the environment, animal welfare, wildlife issues and encouraging employee volunteerism.

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Death Penalty Focus, Pervis Payne, Julius Jones, Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty...

  • Writer: Don Lichterman
    Don Lichterman
  • Oct 23, 2020
  • 5 min read
Pervis Payne

Pervis Payne is a man who has been on death row for 32 years-over half of his life. He has maintained his innocence and the same story this entire time. He is set to be executed in the state of Tennessee on December the fourth 2020.

When he was given the death sentence in 1988 the DNA evidence was not tested in this case. Multiple times Payne has asked for the finger prints to be tested too and he was denied.

He also has an intellectual disability and in the state of tennessee the supreme court has ruled twice that they have, “No business executing people with intellectual disabilities.” It is also unconstitutional due to the 8th amendment.

The details of the crime are as follows. Payne heard his neighbor cry out in her apartment and went to go help. He found her and her daughter stabbed almost to death. He removed the butcher knife from her neck and attempted to revive her. When the police came he fled for fear that they would kill him on cite because they would assume he was guilty because of his race. He saw another man flee the scene as well.

None of the DNA on the crime scene was tested and there is virtually no evidence proving his guilt. His execution is not only unconstitutional, but it will also be an execution of an innocent man.

Julius Jones is innocent. Don’t let him be executed by the state of Oklahoma. 6,052,299 have signed Cece Jones-Davis (Julius Jones Coalition)’s petition. Let’s get to 7,500,000!


Sign now with a click. When Julius Jones was 19-years-old, he was convicted of a murder he says he did not commit. I need your help to save his life.


Julius has lived on death row for almost 20 years, and is held in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day. He is allowed one hour of sunlight a day, and three showers a week. Every minute we wait to take action, Julius is suffering. Every second that goes by brings Julius closer to being executed for a crime he didn’t commit. 

At the time of the crime for which he was convicted, Julius was a 19-year-old student athlete with a promising future, attending the University of Oklahoma on an academic scholarship. It is clear that Julius’ lawyer did not adequately defend him, and that explicit racial bias played a significant role in the process.. For example:

  • Eyewitnesses place Mr. Jones at his parents’ home at the time of the murder, miles away from the crime scene. 

  • Mr. Jones’ co-defendant admitted to being involved in the crime and is now free after testifying against Julius. He was heard bragging that he “set Julius up.” Mr. Jones’ co-defendant matches the only eyewitness description of the shooter based on the length of his hair.

  • Newly-discovered evidence shows that at least one juror harbored racial prejudice that influenced his vote to convict and sentence Mr. Jones to death. One juror reported telling the judge about another juror who said the trial was a waste of time and “they should just take the n***** out and shoot him behind the jail.” 

I learned about Julius’ story through Viola Davis’ docuseries “The Last Defense.” As a person of color and a person of faith, I knew that I couldn’t stand by while an innocent man was killed. I am an Oklahoma taxpayer and the idea that my money will be used to kill Julius makes me sick. 

Sign now with a click...Visit petition page...Every day an innocent man is forced to sit in solitary confinement, awaiting his death. Recently, a grassroots movement successfully pressured Texas to stay the execution of Rodney Reed, another black man sentenced to death for a crime he says he didn’t commit. If we can save Rodney, then Julius has a chance. Please join me and demand justice for Julius.

Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty

Despite many new barriers, our work continues to press forward as we gear up for legislative campaigns in several states come January. We hope you’ll continue to contact your lawmakers about pressing and needed criminal justice reforms in your state. While the national level may feel hopelessly divided, we continue to see significant bipartisan action at the state level – where conservatives are leading in the fight for individual liberty, limited government, and pro-life policies. Take heart!


As we head into election season, it’s important to remember the significant role local politicians play in the battle for criminal justice reform. District attorneys hold almost unilateral power in determining which cases move forward and what sentences are sought, and most are rarely challenged for re-election. Attorneys general command significant influence over the law. Elected sheriffs and mayors, who appoint chiefs of police, are vital figures in our system. State senators, state representatives, and governors determine which bills become law. And city councils play a big role in setting local policies.


These are elections that are often overlooked by the general public but that have far more influence on our day-to-day lives and laws. It’s imperative that we pay attention to and participate in these races.


Recently, I covered the ongoing corruption in the Breonna Taylor case out of Louisville, Kentucky. This case is a perfect example of the reasons why so many conservatives have lost faith in the justice system and why we believe in limited government in the first place. Government is prone to error, corruption, and inefficiency. This case highlights those aspects and, importantly, points to the reasons that the government should never be trusted with the power of life and death. You can read the full piece here.

“The Libertarian Christian Podcast”

We joined “The Libertarian Christian Podcast” to discuss the reasons both libertarians and Christians are turning against the death penalty. In this in-depth interview, we talk about theology, political science, and even philosophy. Join us for this deep conversation. You can stream the episode here.

Our companies are known for creating products that enhance people's lives. Through Sunset Corporation of America and its companies, we’re equally dedicated to improving lives.  Our commitment extends to helping local communities, fostering better educational systems, supporting the arts and culture, helping disadvantaged youth, protecting and improving the environment, animal welfare, wildlife issues and encouraging employee volunteerism.

The Sustainable Action Network (SAN), A Don Lichterman non-profit organization dedicated to building a global community raising awareness of corruption, injustice and the need for action across a full range of issues impacting people and animal/wildlife welfare around the world, such as conservation, climate change, campaign law, lobbying, government action and rescue work. SAN’s vision is to create safer world, free from political, environmental, and social oppression, where all the inhabitants of Earth can live in harmony within their own natural environments. Our commitment extends to helping local communities, fostering better educational systems, supporting the arts and culture, helping disadvantaged youth, protecting and improving the environment, animal welfare, wildlife issues and encouraging employee volunteerism.

CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY
ANIMAL RESCUES WELFARE, CRIMES & ABUSE
PROTECT OUR WILDLIFE

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