Sadly, our society’s obsession with guns, a national health issue, results daily in many deaths from easy access to killing machines.
In Illinois, multiple community and statewide organizations work diligently at stemming that violence. Many of the organizations, small and large, advocate successfully for sensible gun legislation.
One of the important pieces of proposed legislation is the so-called “RIFL” [Responsibility in Firearm Legislation) Act. This proposed bill, SB 2279 in the Illinois Senate and HB 3320 in the House, aims to correct a major cost imbalance. Illinois taxpayers and citizens pay billions of dollars each year for the damage gun violence does to people in our communities. RIFL seeks both to require Illinois licenses for gun manufacturers who sell their wares in the state and to collect funds for direct victim assistance from those manufacturers.
We citizens play multiple roles with respect to such legislation. One such role is simply becoming aware of the legislation and its importance so that we can collectively take action. That’s why multiple gun responsibility organizations are sponsoring an Oak Park Town Hall on the RIFL bill at 7 p.m. on Jan. 13 at Oak Park Public Library in the Veterans Room.
Please set aside the time to come and listen to the discussion and learn about what you can do. We know that once the bills are brought up in legislative committees, we’ll need as many supporters as possible to submit witness slips. It’s easy and quick online.
We hope to see you at Oak Park Main Library on Jan. 13.
Ed McDevitt
Member of Gun Responsibility Advocates
River Forest
