Hoping the voters in my district smarten up and don't vote for her again.
November 21, 2019
Hi Neighbors,
There have been more mass shootings than days in 2019, one of which deeply impacted our community in the 14th District. In February, five innocent lives were taken in a senseless workplace shooting in Aurora, just one day after the 11th anniversary of the shooting at Northern Illinois University.
As a nurse, I know that gun violence itself is a public health epidemic that can have long-lasting impacts. I’ve met with families, students, and teachers across our community who have shared how gun violence has impacted their lives.
There was a young elementary school student who wasn’t excited about this school year; instead, he was scared that he wouldn’t be able to reach his older brother if there was an active shooter on his school campus. I’ve heard from teachers who describe how their ability to teach is impacted by the responsibility of balancing the emotional well-being of their students and ensuring they are prepared in the event of a shooting.
This cannot continue to be the norm in this country.
That’s why one of my first votes in Congress was to pass H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019. The passage of this bill marked the first time in more than two decades that Congress passed a major gun safety bill. H.R. 8 would require a background check on every gun sale or transfer, with limited exceptions. In addition to keeping our communities safer, universal background checks would help keep our first responders out of harm’s way.
I've also supported H.R. 1112, the Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2019. The bill would extend the federal wait period from three to ten days to allow the National Instant Criminal Background Check System to complete background checks— addressing the loophole that contributed to the shooting at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina in 2015.
The bills have something in common— bipartisan support to address our nation's gun violence epidemic. Recent studies show that more than 90% of Americans support universal background checks on firearm sales.
Following the passage of H.R. 8 and H.R. 1112, the House should consider additional legislation to prevent gun violence, including H.R. 1296, the Assault Weapons Ban of 2019. After listening to students, parents, teachers, gun owners, and law enforcement in our community, I recently decided to cosponsor the Assault Weapons Ban. Weapons of war do not belong in our neighborhoods, and we have seen too many of these weapons used in mass shootings across the country.
These common sense policies would save countless lives, and I’ll continue to work in Congress until families no longer have to mourn lost loved ones due to preventable gun violence.
Sincerely,
