National Call-in Day

Tell Virginia Senators to Give Cluster Bombs the Boot!

Monday, March 30th

Call toll free: 1-800-590-6313

On Monday, March 30, make a free phone call to help save lives and limbs. Call your senators at 1-800-590-6313 and urge them to co-sponsor the Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act of 2009 (S. 416), a bill that would ban the use of cluster bombs.

Two weeks ago, Congress and the president permanently outlawed exports of nearly all U.S. cluster bombs. Now, we need to take the next step and make sure the U.S. never again uses its vast arsenal of these weapons, which always end up harming more civilians than soldiers. Right now, 24 senators support S. 416. Your call can help increase this number by getting Senators Warner and Webb onboard—so far, neither one is a cosponsor. Growing co-sponsorship will show President Obama that he has the support he needs to sign the new global treaty banning these weapons and send it to the Senate for ratification.

Take Action: On March 30th, call toll free 1-800-590-6313, which will redirect you to the Capitol Switchboard. Ask for your senator’s office. Once you reach someone in the senator's office, identify yourself as a constituent and ask to speak to the legislative assistant who deals with foreign or military policy issues. If that person is not available, either give the below information to the receptionist or ask for the legislative aide’s answering machine and leave your message there.

Suggested talking points for your call:
· My name is [NAME], and I live in [CITY, STATE]. Thanks for taking my call.
· I am calling to encourage Senator [NAME] to cosponsor S. 416, the Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act.
· Senator [NAME’s] co-sponsorship of this bill will help align U.S. policy with that of our closest NATO allies and ensure that we no longer use weapons that are known to have a record of killing more civilians than soldiers.
· Will co-sponsorship of this bill be possible? (Give or leave your phone number if you would like a call back.)

Tell your friends and family about the call in day. To learn more about cluster bombs, visit http://www.fcnl.org/weapons/mar30_more_info.htm