On April 15, 2013, Krystle Marie Campbell, 29, Lü Lingzi, 23 and Martin Richard, 8, were killed by terrorists at the Boston Marathon.

Every murder of innocent civilians by terrorist groups is reprehensible but what made the death of Martin Richard especially poignant was the message he had the foresight to leave for the entire world: “No More Hurting People. PEACE”

World leaders can’t seem to get us to a world free of war, but maybe Martin’s simple message will help get us one step closer.

One of the most effective ways to get Martin’s message out there would be through the issuance of the Martin Richard Peace Stamp. A stamp displaying the handmade sign he created with his simple, to the point message. Imagine how many people handle a letter on its journey from sender to receiver, everyone seeing Martin's poster having to think, even if only momentarily, about peace!

Stamps are considered and approved by the Citizen’s Stamp Advisory Committee which has two rules that could prevent the issuance of a Martin Richard Peace Stamp.

The first rule states: "The stamp program commemorates positive contributions to American life, history, culture and environment; therefore, negative occurrences and disasters will not be commemorated on U.S. postage stamps or stationery."

The proposed stamp makes no reference to the bombing, so with this petition, we are asking the CSAC to view this in the positive light it is meant to be – a message of peace.

The other rule that would affect this stamp is the one regarding artwork. It states: "Do not submit artwork or photographs for a stamp subject for consideration. Unsolicited stamp designs will not be reviewed or considered."

With this petition, we are asking the CSAC to make an exception, because the simple artwork of Martin’s own hands is an essential part of his message that no other artist could possibly illustrate better.

Please join us in our proposal for the creation of the Martin Richard Peace Stamp by signing our petition and forwarding it to your family and friends.

Thank you.

John Savarese