Urge Legislators to Vote NO on motion to override Governor’s Veto

"...they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore."                 

- Isaiah 2:4                                                 

Gun violence is destroying our communities. As people of faith, we know that more guns are not the answer. Due to your dedication this past legislative session, we passed a guns package (HB1189) that included universal background checks and mandatory reporting of lost and stolen firearms.

But our gun safety bill was not the only gun legislation that passed that day. 

This concealed carry bill – HB183 – also passed the Illinois General Assembly.  The bill allows for many frightening possibilities, including the following:

Guns Permitted in Establishments with Alcohol Sales

Mixing alcohol with guns is irresponsible and dangerous. As drafted, this bill allows people to carry guns into establishments serving alcohol, including most family restaurants and other places where large amounts of alcohol are consumed.

Unlimited Number of Guns and Ammunition

The bill provides no cap on the number of guns or on the size or number of ammunition clips that may be carried.  Instead, it allows individuals to legally carry multiple guns with unlimited rounds of ammunition, which is a public safety hazard.

Restricting Local Authority to Regulate Guns or Assault Weapons

This bill strips the authority of Illinois “home rule” governments to enact future laws on assault weapons to protect their local communities. This NRA-inspired provision is NOT related to the concealed carry of handguns and should be removed from the bill.

Fortunately, Gov Quinn has proposed changes in the form of an amendatory veto (to see full list of changes click here). The veto would allow this bill to fulfill its original purpose (the regulation of concealed weapons), while challenging the above provisions.   Among other important changes, the governor is proposing:

• NO Guns in establishments that serve alcohol
• A concealed carry limit of one gun per person and only 10 rounds
• Preserves local “home rule” communities’ authority to pass laws that ban assault weapons.

We SUPPORT the Governor’s veto!  Pro-Gun legislators are trying to override these critical changes. It’s up to us to urge our legislators to VOTE NO ON THE OVERRIDE.  Time is short.  The General Assembly will likely take a vote on Tuesday, July 9, 2013. 

Call or e-mail your representative TODAY (click here to look up their contact information)!  You can use the message below for a phone call or an e-mail.

“Hello, my name is ________________.  I support the Governor’s common-sense changes to the concealed carry gun bill. I urge the senator (or representative) to vote NO on the motion to override the governor’s veto.  Thank you.”

Thank YOU for your advocacy!

Urgent: Common-Sense Concealed Carry Bill Stalled

During the 2013 legislative session, PCG, CRS, and our partners, have been advocating for common-sense gun regulations – universal background checks on all gun sales, reporting lost or stolen firearms, and titling handguns similar to car registration – to be included in any gun trafficking legislation considered by the Illinois General Assembly.  The Illinois legislature was ordered by the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to craft a law by June 9 that will allow responsible gun owners to carry concealed weapons in public.  Two radically different concealed carry bills are currently moving.

The House passed SB 2193 (Amendment #1), sponsored by Representative Brandon Phelps by a vote 85-30-1 on Friday.  While this new measure bans firearms in some places, it strips all other gun regulations off the books, including assault weapon bans, and would allow nearly unrestricted carrying of concealed weapons.  What’s more, it overrules local municipalities with existing sensible regulations and prohibits towns and cities, including Chicago, from enacting new common-sense gun regulations in the future.

Governor Pat Quinn, Senate President John Cullerton, and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel are all strongly opposed to SB 2193.  Both the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Tribune editorial boards are against SB 2193 and support HB 183 instead.

Contact your Senator and tell them SB 2193 is bad for Illinois and overturning existing local laws will NOT make us safer.  Tell your Senator to support HB 183 Senator Kwame Raoul’s true compromise legislation!

HB 183, sponsored by Senator Kwame Raoul, includes common-sense provisions for mandatory reporting lost or stolen firearms and universal background checks on all gun purchases, unlike SB 2193, which lacks any gun safety measures.  Additionally, HB 183 allows local authorities and law enforcement to pass ordinances regarding who should be allowed to carry a concealed weapon.  We support Sen. Raoul's amendment to HB 183, which was voted overwhelmingly out of committee but has yet to make it to the floor of either house.

Contact your legislators now and urge them to support common-sense gun regulations by voting YES for HB 183 and NO for SB 2193.

This is a crucial time to help stop the flow of illegal guns into our communities.  Since the legislative session ends on May 31, lawmakers will be considering these proposals any day now.  Please don’t delay. The legislative session will end soon, but gun trafficking won’t—unless we take action and make our voices heard.

We Mourn Chicago's Children* Killed by Gun Violence in 2012

Date Name Neighborhood 1/4/2012 Mark Watts West Englewood 1/8/2012 Valentin Bahena Belmont Cragin 1/20/2012 Anton Sanders Rogers Park 2/5/2012 Deshun Winfert Chicago Lawn 2/18/2012 Edgar Delgado Avondale 2/21/2012 Damion Rolle Greater Grand Crossing 2/27/2012 George Howard Washington Park 2/28/2012 Albert Guyton Chicago Lawn 3/8/2012 Joshua Williams Chicago Lawn 3/17/2012 Aliyah Shell South Lawndale 3/26/2012 Cedric Bell West Englewood 4/7/2012 Roberto Luna Brighton Park 5/4/2012 Donnel Rankin West Pullman 5/18/2012 Alejandro Jaime Brighton Park 5/19/2012 Nazia Banks South Chicago 5/26/2012 Jeffrey Triplett North Lawndale 5/29/2012 Ivan Alanis Uptown 6/2/2012 Jamal Lockett South Shore 6/9/2012 Joseph Briggs Chicago Lawn 6/13/2012 Romelo Golden South Chicago 6/16/2012 Shakaki Asphy West Englewood 6/22/2012 Antonio Davis Englewood 6/24/2012 Tyquan Tyler Woodlawn 6/27/2012 Heaven Sutton Austin 6/30/2012 Lenard Trust Kenwood 7/12/2012 Martin Tejeda Gage Park 7/19/2012 Jamauri Askew Auburn Gresham 7/19/2012 Nathaniel Gonzalez West Englewood 7/23/2012 Alixi Johnson South Deering 7/25/2012 Douglas Bufford South Shore 8/2/2012 Johnqualus Turner Humboldt Park 8/2/2012 Cornell Ferguson Humboldt Park 8/18/2012 Taylor Diorio McKinley Park 8/21/2012 Jaime Ruvalcaba New City 8/21/2012 Alejandro Valdez Chicago Lawn 8/24/2012 Lucian Dreux Greater Grand Crossing 8/31/2012 Jalen Stogner New City 9/8/2012 Jesus Garcia Gage Park 9/26/2012 Dejuan Jackson Oakland 9/28/2012 Derrick Davis Calumet Heights 10/8/2012 Jonathan Williams South Shore 10/13/2012 Modell McCambry Woodlawn 10/20/2012 Terrance Johnson Rogers Park 11/8/2012 Rodney Stewart Ashburn 11/12/2012 Taylor Fitting Roseland 11/15/2012 Sergio Oliva Chicago Lawn 11/18/2012 Emilio Palomo New City 11/26/2012 Porshe Foster Chicago Lawn 12/9/2012 Jeffrey Stewart Humboldt Park 12/20/2012 Kentan Scott Austin 12/29/2012 Neriyah Beller North Lawndale

*List includes school-aged children under 18.

We also mourn the loss of all victims of violence.  Click here to remember through pictures the 509 people murdered in Chicago of 2012.

Weekend Violence Continues

Bisera Rozic is a DePaul University student majoring in Economics and a PCG contributing writer.

The first week of Chicago Police Officers working overtime over weekends in order to decrease crime ends with 6 dead and 34 wounded.

Last week it was announced that the CPD would pay overtime to officers who come in on their days off to help curb the weekend violence that has plagued Chicago.

But with its first week in practice, and temperatures in the 80s and 90s, crime has been occurring as if nothing was enacted. From Friday night to Monday morning, 6 people were killed and 34 wounded. Though we should not eliminate the plan right off the bat, I really hope that Emanuel, McCarthy, and the CPD have some backup plans because the weather is going to stay in the 80s and 90s for quite a while.

The Importance of Community

Bisera Rozic is a DePaul University student majoring in Economics and a PCG intern.

Community involvement has always been important. It alleviates hardships we face in completing certain tasks on our own. When Hurricane Katrina hit several years ago, several people from my high school traveled all the way down to Louisiana to help people rebuild their lives. The people came together to help one another. This is one of the greatest things about communities. It gives you hope. It's a way of showing that you're not alone in this struggle, I am here to help you.

In 2009, Chicago saw one of the deadliest school years that led to a discussion and a proposition to get the National Guard involved. There are several problems with that idea. The main problem is that the National Guard is not as familiar with the south side of Chicago. It is important to allow a community group such as CeaseFire to get involved. CeaseFire's staff is composed of community members trying to make a difference. They talk to people and try to stop crimes before they occur. The organization was founded in 2000 and has done a tremendous job of helping communities get up on their feet. They help troubled youth get their GED, enter the workforce, and also do their best to stop shootings and other violent crimes before they happen.

Community involvement is better than getting the National Guard involved because your neighbor knows you better than a person from another neighborhood, let alone a different city. A troubled youth is more likely to listen to their neighbor than a stranger. They are more likely to connect to their neighbor than the other person. Furthermore, a community member would know of better ways of approaching the troubled youth because they have a better sense of how the community works. Most importantly, a community is better equipped to offer guidance.

It is important for the community to get involved because the police might be seen as too aggressive and doing nothing will not solve anything. But as a community, it is our duty to take care of our own. These kids just need a little guidance, a guidance that cannot be found in juvenile detention. A community united, however, is able to provide this guidance. Through community, one less mother will bury her child, one more youth will obtain a diploma, one more person will have a job. Through community, hope is restored. This is the goal of such organizations as CeaseFire. This is why community is important and we as a community need to get involved. 

Early Spring Shootings

Spring showed her sunny face in the Windy City just in time for St. Patrick's Day.  And as people flooded the streets to enjoy the warmth, to bask in the sun, and even to catch a parade, many of us missed the shocking events that were taking place all around us.

This weekend, between Friday evening and Monday morning, gun violence erupted across the city of Chicago leaving 9 dead and at least 35 people wounded.


Let us remember the families and communities of those whose lives were lost.  As reported by the Chicago Tribune, the dead include:


Aliyah Shell, 6 years old, was the victim of a drive-by shooting in Little Village on Saturday.  She was shot dead as she played on the porch of her home.


Joel Sanroman, 42 years old, was shot dead as he drove in the 3100 block of West 53rd St. early Saturday morning.


Adrian Cruz, 24 years old, was standing in the 5900 block of South Fairfield Avenue, the block where he lived, about 7.04 p.m. when someone inside a vehicle fatally shot him.

Vincent Fitts, 22 years old, was found with a gunshot wound to the head in the 800 block of East 79th Street.

Jeremy Anthony, 24 years old, of the 6400 block of South Ellis Avenue, was shot in the back while inside a vehicle near his home.


Bert Lindsey, 36 years old, was at a friend's backyard party early Sunday when someone drove by and opened fire.


George Marrero, a man in his 20s, was shot dead in the 1400 block of West 53rd Street early Sunday morning.  Two others were wounded in this shooting.


Andre Pierce, 34 years old, was shot in Lawndale and pronounced dead early Monday morning.


Zheri Cureton, 23 years old, was shot dead on Sunday night.


O God, whose names are Love, Wisdom, and Peace,


We recognize that gun violence has touched the lives of so many people right here in our city, tearing at the roots of life and hope within our communities.


With each act of gun violence, with each injury and death, we are outraged.  And despair threatens all our efforts to build families and communities of compassion and peace. 


We pray for the strength to remain resilient and vigilant.  We pray for signs of hope, love, and wisdom--for a path toward peace.  


May we never give up on the vision of a city, a country, a world where gun violence no longer rips at the fabric of our community.  We pray for a world where there are victims no more.


Amen.