State Senator Raoul meets with Sandy Hook parents, discusses gun laws
SPRINGFIELD, IL – State Senator Kwame Raoul (D-Chicago 13th) issued the following statement on the Springfield visit of three parents of children killed in December’s mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut:
“I was honored to have a personal meeting today with Mark Barden, Nicole Hockley and Francine Wheeler, all of whom lost young children in the Newtown massacre. These brave parents, who have lived the nightmare all mothers and fathers fear, came to Springfield to tell legislators that their children’s lives could have been spared had the shooter not been equipped with high-capacity magazines.
“I discussed with them my legislation, Senate Bill 851, which requires private sellers of firearms to verify that the buyer’s FOID Card hasn’t been revoked. This measure also requires gun owners to report a lost or stolen firearm and tightens mental illness reporting requirements so people who are a danger to themselves or others don’t acquire deadly weapons. Mr. Barden, Ms. Hockley and Ms. Wheeler agree with me that just as Connecticut enacted commonsense gun laws in response to Sandy Hook, Illinois desperately needs to take steps now to prevent a similar tragedy from occurring here.
“I salute the Sandy Hook parents for telling their story over and over, as difficult as that must be, in the hope that what happened to their children will not happen to ours. I urge my colleagues to join them in supporting commonsense gun laws.â€
