Rookie Calgary Buffalo MLA Kent Hehr has put forward a private members bill in an attempt to curb gun violence in Alberta.

What grabbed my attention with this was not so much the obvious politics of an inner city MLA getting tough with gang violence or the merits of the bill. No, what impresses me about this is Hehr’s use of new media to build a grass roots campaign to build buzz around his bill. In addition to the obvious facebook group, Hehr has set up a website that collects contact information from interested Albertans and gives you the opportunity to spread the message virally. The e-mail invite directing me to the site was also cc’d to Ed Stelmach automatically, and the site makes it incredibly easy for you to contact your MLA.

So a tip of the hat to Kent Hehr…these sort of the campaigns are certainly the future of politics.