Organizing for Action, the newly formed “grassroots” group that will help President Obama try to promote and pass his agenda, today sent out a fundraising and membership-building email that cites the Newtown massacre as a reason to “pull together” behind the president.

The email, which was sent out under Vice President Joe Biden’s name and is signed by him, includes a link to a page on the Organizing for Action website that asks people to provide their email address. The page has a separate link that takes viewers to another area of the website where they can donate.

In the message, Biden talks about Obama’s gun control agenda, and then he tugs at the heart strings:

Right now, President Obama is counting on you. Each one of us needs to speak up and demand action. It doesn’t matter whether you live in a big city or a small town like Newtown, Connecticut. When our fellow Americans are victims of senseless violence, we all pull together as one American family. Let’s get this done, folks. Whether the action we take saves one life or 1,000, it matters. Thank you, Joe

Organizing for Action was created this month out of the Obama 2012 campaign and is believed to possess an email list more than 20 million strong and include thousands of activists.