At an Illinois House committee hearing Thursday, researchers and community activists said having fewer firearms in communities will help stop bloodshed — from the persistent gun violence haunting Chicago to mass shootings like the one at a suburban July Fourth parade — but this must be followed by programs to change attitudes and give people alternatives.
Democrats who control the General Assembly are positioning a wide-ranging gun law for a vote as early as next month, during a lame-duck session. That follows Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s call last summer for a semi-automatic weapons ban, following the parade massacre that killed seven and injured 30 in Highland Park.
