Commentary

Robin Kelly’s Open Letter to Fellow Candidates on Gun Violence


Matteson, Ill–(ENEWSPF)–UPDATE: December 20, 2012. Former State Representative Robin Kelly sent the following letter to her fellow candidates for Congress in the 2nd Congressional District of Illinois urging them to pledge support for her anti-gun violence initiative.

Dear ______________,

Like you, I was deeply saddened by the horrific events that occurred last week at Sandy Hook Elementary school in Connecticut. 

 As a mom, the heart wrenching thought of losing a child in such a senseless way is unfathomable. 

Unfortunately, our neighborhoods are not strangers to gun violence.  It’s a brutal reality in the lives of families here where school buses, parks, and even churches are witness to the worst kind of violence imaginable.

The numbers are staggering.  Last school year, 319 Chicago Public School students were wounded by gunfire.  In 2012 alone, 33 children in Chicago under the age of 17 were killed by guns.  A child in our state is now more likely to die at the hands of a firearm than they are from a car accident.  An entire generation has grown up in the shadow of gun violence and the never-ending fear that their loved ones may be next.  Enough is enough.

While we don’t know who will represent our community in Congress, we do know that addressing the issue of gun violence will be among the very first issues they face.

For this reason, I believe we must speak with one voice on this critical issue.  The people of the 2nd District need to know that we all share a common goal: to end the heartbreaking cycle of gun violence that has haunted our community. 

To that end, I ask you to pledge to support my initiative to: 

  1. Pass a strong, comprehensive ban on assault weapons.      
  2. Eliminate the gun show loophole, which currently allows felons and other prohibited individuals to evade background checks when purchasing firearms.      
  3. Ban the types of high capacity ammunition magazines that were used in the shootings in Aurora, Colorado and Newtown, Connecticut.       
  4. Pledge never to receive support from organizations that oppose reasonable gun safety legislation.      
  5. Support Illinois’ current laws that prohibit conceal and carry permits.

The fact is, we can protect the Second Amendment and pass common sense restrictions on firearms.

As President Obama challenged us all Sunday night, “Are we prepared to say that such violence visited on our children year after year after year is somehow the price of our freedom?”  

The next Representative to Congress from Illinois’ Second District must clearly and concisely demand that enough is enough.

Passing reasonable restrictions on firearms will not guarantee that such daily tragedies cease.  But if they succeed in saving even one life, then they are worth the effort.

Sincerely,

 
Robin Kelly


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