Lawmakers have a chance to reduce gun violence. Get the bill right.

Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart holds up high capacity ammunition magazines as he testifies in support of the state’s proposed assault weapon ban to the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday. (Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times)

Thomas Vanden Berk, the founder of the Gun Violence Prevention PAC, remembers the days when swarms of gun-rights supporters would pack the Illinois Capitol’s gallery whenever he testified about gun safety.

But when the Legislature held hearings on a new gun safety bill this month, it was the other way around. The gallery was full of people who want action to stop gun violence, he said.