This week’s blog is written by Dion McGill, SCY Communications and Community Outreach Manager.
Unfortunately, Chicago recently saw one of the most violent Memorial Day’s in recent memory, and reportedly the most violence in five years. The violence continued to extend into the week, with 23 people shot between Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon. It shines yet another light on the ongoing need for common sense gun legislation.
This is why the BIO Bill, SB 1966, is so important for Illinois right now.
While the shortened legislative session ended last week, the advocacy for the BIO Bill isn’t over. The fight isn’t over.
The communities hardest hit by COVID-19 are also disproportionately impacted by gun violence and the flow of illegal guns. We must ask lawmakers to protect our children and communities by passing the Block Illegal Gun Ownership (BIO) Bill (SB1966) to Fix the FOID and expand background checks to ALL gun sales.
So, please allow me to remind you of all the things you can do to show your support for the BIO Bill, and to push your elected representatives to vote in favor in this important piece of legislation.
See below for actions you can take today to advocate to pass this important bill:
- Arrange a virtual meeting with your state senator, especially if you live in a priority district. Contact the priority Senator’s office and ask for a virtual Zoom meeting to discuss gun violence and the BIO Bill. For assistance, email info@gpec-ichv.org.
- Call your state senator and urge them to prioritize public safety and pass the BIO Bill/SB1966 before this session adjourns.
- Send emails and ask Senators to prioritize public safety and pass the BIO Bill/SB1966 before the end of this session:
- Tweet @ priority state senators: enter your information in the linked tool repeatedly to send multiple tweets.
Also, two of our colleagues were recently featured in two of the Chicago newspapers. We definitely recommend you check them out, and share them, as well as this blog with your friends and family. We all have a part to play in making Chicago and Illinois a safer place.
- Chicago Tribune article by Dr. Brian Williams, Trauma Surgeon at the University of Chicago
- Chicago Sun-Times article by Kathleen Sances, President & CEO of the Gun Violence Prevention Action Committee