Last year, a shooter used an assault weapon and large-capacity magazines to kill seven people, wound dozens of others, and impact thousands during a July 4th parade in Highland Park, IL.
Independence Day is a uniquely American holiday, honoring the values of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The mass shooting that took place that day wasn't just an attack on the Highland Park community, it was an attack on the very sense of safety and freedom that day was meant to celebrate.
The harrowing reality is that we are all Highland Park. We are all grappling with the deadly impact and psychological grip of gun violence in the United States. And we are all at risk of being shot, whether we are marching in a parade, in class at school, shopping at the grocery store, or simply walking down the street.
That's why we are calling on our lawmakers, those who have sworn to defend our welfare and liberty, to protect our freedom from gun violence and the fear and trauma it instills.
Join us in demanding that Congress pass a ban on assault weapons.
READ THE OPEN LETTER
Dear Congress,
We are friends, neighbors, and loved ones. We are parents, advocates, elected officials, and survivors. We are teachers, health care professionals, and community leaders. Our country prides itself on our long-held values of freedom and independence. But those values are under attack by an epidemic of gun violence. We are calling on you, our lawmakers who have sworn to defend the welfare and liberty of the people, to protect our freedom and lives by passing legislation to ban assault weapons.
One year ago on July 4, 2022, a shooter used an assault weapon and large-capacity magazines to kill seven people and wound dozens of others during a uniquely American Independence Day parade in Highland Park, IL. This wasn’t just an attack on the community of Highland Park. It was an attack on the sense of safety and freedom of all Americans, especially on what should have been a celebration of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
We are all Highland Park. We are all at risk of being shot, whether we are marching in a parade, in class at school, shopping at the grocery store, or simply walking down the street.
The shooting in Highland Park was the 309th mass shooting of 2022. Already in 2023, we’ve surpassed that marker and had more mass shootings than days in the year. Assault weapons are weapons of mass destruction. They are the weapons of choice for America’s mass shooters because they have one purpose: to kill as many people as possible, as quickly as possible. In shootings where they are used, 155% more people are shot and 47% more people are killed.
In the absence of a national assault weapons ban, states and localities, including Highland Park, have taken steps to protect their communities and ban these weapons of war. But without federal action, we are all left vulnerable. That’s why we are joining together this Independence Day to demand that Congress pass a ban on assault weapons. Every day we wait, more people will die. Please, honor our most American holiday by freeing us from the threat of gun violence and terrorism that we face today and every day.
Signed,
Mayor Nancy R. Rotering, Highland Park
Brady: United Against Gun Violence
Advocates For Change
Alliance for Gun Responsibility
American Federation of Teachers
American Medical Women's Association
Americans Against Gun Violence
Battle Born Progress
Brady PAC
Brave New Films
California State Senator Catherine Blakespear (CA-38)
Calvary Presbyterian Church
CeaseFire PA
Change the Ref
Chi-Town Gun Violence Prevention Summit
Colorado Ceasefire Legislative Action
Colorado State Senator Rhonda Fields (CO-28)
Delaware Coalition Against Gun Violence
DesignedMind Data & Analytics
DJR Global Concepts, LLC
Doctors of America
Dr. Joe Sakran, trauma surgeon
Enough Gun Violence
Fred Guttenberg, Parkland dad and advocate
Friends of Lakeside Village
Gays Against Guns
Gays Against Guns New York
Grace Cathedral, San Francisco
Guns Down America
Gun Violence Prevention PAC
Honor with Action Coalition
Hope and Heal Fund
Indivisible
Loyola Stands Against Gun Violence
Lutheran Social Services of Northern California
March For Our Lives
Marylanders to Prevent Gun Violence
Michigan State Representative Felicia Brabec (MI-33)
Michigan State Representative Lori Stone (MI-13)
Michigan State Representative Stephanie Young (MI-16)
National Council of Jewish Women
National Council of Jewish Women, Essex County
National Education Association
National Parent Teacher Association
New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center
New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence
Newtown Action Alliance
New Yorkers Against Gun Violence
North Carolinians Against Gun Violence
Ohio Council of Churches
Older Women's League - San Francisco
Old First Presbyterian Church - San Francisco
One Aim Illinois
Orange Ribbons for Gun Safety
Oregon Alliance for Gun Safety
Patrick Boyle, Commissioner of St. Louis County, MN
Protect Minnesota
Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism
Remembering Darien Victims Foundation
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital
Safer Country
San Diegans for Gun Violence Prevention
San Francisco Interfaith Council
San Francisco Islamic School
St. Louis County, MN Commissioner Patrick Boyle
Stop Handgun Violence
Sunnyvale Citizens for Sensible Gun Measures
Survivors Lead
Swan Isle Press
Teachers Unify to End Gun Violence
Team ENOUGH
The Campaign to Keep Guns Off Campus
The Fudge Foundation
This is Our Lane
Thomas Gabor LLC, Author
Torrey Pines Democratic Club
Village of Northbrook, Illinois
Virginia State Senator Barbara Favola (VA-31)
Virginia State Senator David Marsden (VA-37)
Virginia State Senator Ghazala Hashmi (VA-10)
Virginia State Senator Jennifer Boysko (VA-33)
Virginia State Senator R. Creigh Deeds (VA-25)
Washington State Representative Amy Walen (WA-48)
Washington State Representative Liz Berry (WA-36)
Women Against Gun Violence
Women for American Values and Ethics (WAVE)