Will Co. Representatives Support Background Checks For Gun Sales

WILL COUNTY, IL — Will County officials in the Congress are in support of the legislation that expands background checks on the sale of guns.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed two bills last Thursday to require a background check for every gun sale or transfer and to close a loophole which allows for the sale of a firearm if a background check is not completed within three business days.

Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-Naperville) said in a statement that gun violence is a "public health epidemic."

"Workers should not fear for their lives at work, and every person deserves to go into a house of worship without fearing violence, and our kids should be able to feel safe at school. Addressing gun violence with meaningful action is a moral obligation that is long overdue," she said.

Underwood is a member of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, and she supports efforts to limit access to guns for domestic abusers, stalkers, and others with existing legal actions regarding threats of violence, and because over half of gun deaths are suicides, she is fighting for policies that improve access to suicide prevention services and mental health care. She is also working to remove roadblocks to federal funding of research into how to best prevent gun violence.

Rep. Bill Foster (D-Naperville) called the changes "commonsense" and cited gun violence near his district as an example of what the bill aim to prevent.

"The gun violence epidemic exacts a deadly toll across our country," Foster said in a statement. "Mass shootings like Henry Pratt in Aurora, and the tragic drumbeat of individual shootings that take the lives of an average of 100 Americans each day, are a constant reminder of the need to keep guns out of the hands of those who should not have them."

Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Channahon) said even though he himself owns a firearm and believes in the right to keep and bear arms legally, he admits that "we have a violence problem in this country, and it cannot be ignored."

"Following the shootings in Dayton, Ohio and El Paso, Texas in August 2019, I said publicly that should the H.R. 8 legislation come before the House again, I would vote in its favor. And today, I did just that," he said. "This legislation by itself will not stop violence. It will help, but the core of our issues cannot be changed by laws. We cannot detect or deter evil by legislating. Accepting the reality that this evil exists is part of it, as well as holding those who commit these crimes accountable."

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