Schakowsky Talks Gun Control, ObamaCare in Arlington Heights

Katie Kemper is among the 91 percent of Americans who support gun control legislation.

The Arlington Heights resident wanted to know if U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, who made a stop in the village this week, was still committed to passing legislation despite last week’s Senate vote against requiring universal background checks for anyone purchasing a gun at a gun show or online.

“I absolutely believe we are going to be able to pass gun legislation,” Schakowsky said. “There could be a change within the next two weeks.”

What could affect the legislation is the “passion gap,” Schakowsky said. The gap occurs when people feel passionate about the topic but don’t speak out. The key is motivating enough people to take action, she said.

People need to contact their representatives, who will be on a break from Washington in the next few weeks, to get their voice heard on gun control, she said.

Schakowsky met with residents of the newly redrawn District 9, which she has represented for 15 years in Congress at a town hall meeting in Arlington Heights this week.

Her district was redrawn in the past year. Schakowsky gave her opinion and updates on what’s happening in Washington then answered questions from the audience of about 30 people.

Gun-control and ObamaCare were two topics Schakowsky audience members wanted to discuss.

Last week, a gun control measure backed by President Barack Obama and gun violence victims like Gabrielle Giffords, was defeated by six votes, 54-46.

“We will continue to work on that,” she said.

ObamaCare criticisms

One audience member described ObamaCare as a “train wreck” that will add $6.2 trillion to the national debt over 10 years.

Schakowsky had not heard of the figure. She doesn’t believe ObamaCare is going to be a great cost at the end of the day, she said. She added it will save a trillion dollars over 20 years.

She helped craft portions of ObamaCare as a member of the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce. It was designed to save dollars, not add dollars, she said.

“ObamaCare is definitely a work in progress,” Schakowsky said, adding the motivation behind the legislation is that the number one cause of bankruptcies in American is due to a medical bills.

Unfortunately, it has become a bipartisan issue, she said. As people participate in ObamaCare, they will begin seeing the benefits, Schakowsky said.