Citing The Vietnam War, Mike Feuer Urges Major Networks to Report Daily Gun Violence Casualties Here at Home

LOS ANGELES — Mike Feuer, Democratic candidate to replace Adam Schiff in CA-30, April 18, issued a letter to the heads of the major networks urging them to provide a daily report of casualties from Gun Violence in America on nightly newscasts, just like they did during the War in Vietnam in the 1960s.

With gun violence and mass shootings raging across our country, Feuer believes such a daily tally of killed and wounded in what amounts to a war here at home will galvanize public opinion and provide “a catalyst for meaningful action.”

As co-founder and former co-chair of Prosecutors Against Gun Violence*, Mike Feuer is a nationally recognized leader in the effort to prevent gun violence across America. 

Below is the complete text of the Feuer Letter:

Dear Network Executive:

With a gun violence epidemic ripping our nation apart and too little being done to confront it, I write to urge your network to provide a daily update of the year’s gun violence deaths in each nightly news broadcast. Drawing attention each day to the toll gun violence takes in our nation could be a catalyst for meaningful action.

According to the Gun Violence Archive, more than 12,000 Americans have died from gun violence this year alone. That’s 115 people per day. Nearly 400 of these victims were children or teens. In the face of this crisis, students wonder if they will be next. Congress accomplishes next to nothing. State legislators are expelled for daring to demand an effective response.

There is precedent for my proposal. During the Vietnam War, every night, national news networks noted the number of soldiers who perished or were wounded. This information helped galvanize the American people and their elected representatives to act.

By providing this objective information, your network can call attention to a public health and safety emergency about which more must be done.

I look forward to your prompt reply.

Sincerely,

Mike Feuer