Consituent letters are one of the most effective ways of raising the importance of issues with legislators. Use the sample below as a guide for your own letter. The more personalized your letter, the more effective it will be. Print out this sample to help your friends, family, and neighbors get active.

Dear Representative,

Small arms left over from old wars are sold by arms dealers to fuel new ones.  Arms were sent to the government of Sudan from at least 5 countries despite US and EU embargoes in place because of the ongoing genocide in Darfur. We can and must do more to control the spread of illegal arms. Please do everything you can to support tighter international controls on arms trafficking and increased funding for State Department programs that help countries destroy surplus weapons after conflicts are over.

Please write to let me know what action you will take.

Sincerely,

[your name] [your address]