Firearms are the leading cause of death for American kids and teens. Yet, legislation to save their lives — and the lives of everyone who could fall victim to gun violence — has been stalled in Congress.

The Mishnah tells us that “one who saves a life; it is as though they have saved the universe” (Sanhedrin 4:5). As Jews, we have an obligation to care for and protect our neighbors. This means preventing school shootings, and ensuring what happened in Nashville, Uvalde, Parkland, Newtown, Columbine — and so many other communities — never happens again.

We can protect our children and keep Americans safe by passing commonsense gun violence legislation that would ban ghost guns, assault weapons, high-capacity magazines, and bump stocks; require gun buyers to pass a criminal background check; close the private sale loophole; ensure safe firearm storage; temporarily prevent gun access to someone in crises; and criminalize gun trafficking.

It is a moral failure that we have not ended the gun violence epidemic plaguing our schools and our streets. It is long past time for Congress to do something about it.

The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, signed into law last year was a start, but we have a long way to go as a country to protect people from gun violence. Call your lawmakers today and urge them to pass gun safety legislation to reduce the devastation of daily firearm violence in America.