You can help stop arms trafficking by taking action. Here you can find resources, tips, and samples of actions that will fit into your schedule, whether you have only a few minutes or hours to help.

If you have 5 minutes,  call your representative

Did your representative join the letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to support tougher arms trafficking regulations? If so, please call to thank her/him for leadership on the issue.

Here's the list of Representatives who signed the letter: Adam Schiff, Anna Eshoo, Barbara Lee, Barney Fran, Bernard Sanders, Betty McCollum, Brad Sherman, Carolyn Maloney, Carolyn McCarthy, Charles Gonzalez, Chris Van Hollen, Christopher Shays, Daniel Lipinski, David Price, Diane Watson, Donald Payne, Doris Matsui, Earl Blumenauer, Edward Markey, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Ellen Tauscher, Frank Pallone, Gary Ackerman, Gwen Moore, Henry Waxman, Hilda Solis, Howard L. Berman, James Langevin, James McGovern, James Moran, James Oberstar, Jane Harman, Janice Schakowsky, John Conyers, John Lewis, John Olver, John Tierney, Joseph Crowley, Juanita Millender-McDonald, Linda Sanchez, Lloyd Doggett, Lois Capps, Luis Gutierrez, Lynn C. Woolsey, Madeleine Bordallo,  Martin T. Meehan, Maurice Hinchey, Maxine Waters, Melissa Bean, Michael Capuano, Michael Doyle, Neil Abercrombie, Nita Lowey, Pete Star, Raul Grijalva, Robert Andrews, Robert Wexler, Rush Holt, Sam Farr, Sander Levin, Sheila Jackson Lee, Sherrod Brown, Stephen F. Lynch, Steve Israel, Steve Rothman, Tammy Baldwin, Tom Allen, Tom Lantos, William Delahunt, William Jefferson, Wm. Lacy Clay.

How to Call

1. Call the Washington, D.C. Congressional Switchboard # 1-800-614-2803

2. Ask for your Representative by name. Click here to look up your representative using your zip code.

3. Give your name and zip code to the staff person or on the machine if after hours, so they will know you are a constituent.

4. Sample message:    “As a constituent, I am happy to know that my representative shares my belief that the U.S. needs to do more to control the spread of illegal arms fueling conflicts around the world. Thank you for signing the letter circulated by Rep. Adam Schiff urging Sec. Rice to push for strong global principles on arms exports at the UN meeting on small arms trafficking this summer.”

*Remember- Try to use your own words and feelings to make the biggest impact.

*California Senators Boxer and Feinstein have signed a letter to Sec. Rice about this issue already. Feel free to thank them as well.

If you have 30 minutes, write a letter to the editor of your local paper.

Public awareness is critical to stopping the epidemic of illegal gunrunning and ending the forced recruitment of children as soldiers in wars. If the media doesn’t cover the issues though, it’s hard for people to know about them and even harder for them to take action. This is a chicken and egg problem: the papers won’t cover stories they think people don’t care about. Take a few minutes to compose a letter to your local paper’s editor asking them to increase coverage of this issue.

Sample letter to the Editor

Dear Editor:

I'm glad to see more media attention on the genocide in Darfur over the past few months. But I’ve seen almost no coverage of one of the most important issues driving this conflict and the scores of other destabilizing wars in the world: the easy availability of illegal arms that comes from toothless and voluntary international arms controls. Weapons were sent to the government of Sudan in 2002 and 2003 from at least 5 countries despite U.S. and EU arms embargoes. It’s time for a binding treaty on basic principles for arms exports. Let’s stop dealers and governments from profiting by providing tools to terrorists and oppressive regimes.

Sincerely,
Your name, address, and phone number (they will usually call to verify your identity in order to publish the letter).


If you have 4 hours, host an issue discussion party or set up a table at your faith services.

What you’ll need:   

Print out an article introducing the issue.    

Have sample letters , paper, envelopes and stamps for friends and family to take action.

Bring the names of your community’s local congressional representatives, in case people aren’t sure who represents them. Click here to find representatives by zip code.  

For an issue discussion, consider renting a film like the action-thriller Lord of War, about an arms dealer. The bonus feature on the DVD called “Making a Killing: Inside the International Arms Trade” provides in-depth analysis from experts– a good starting point for factual discussion after the movie.