When news broke this past week of a threat and subsequent lockdown at the state Capitol in Springfield, everyone’s minds went to the same chilling place: Is there a gunman?
Most people think, “It won’t happen to me,” but if I’ve learned anything from leading the state’s only gun violence prevention political action committee, I know that it’s not a question of if — but when. Thankfully, this incident at Illinois’ Capitol remained an “if.” Next time, we may not be so lucky.
After incidents like this — and with the memory of the Jan. 6 insurrection lurking in our collective consciousness — it’s imperative that our lawmakers understand in their bones the threat we all face from guns. There’s no good way to teach this grim reality. Sometimes, we must be confronted with it.
The reality is that the fear that spread through the Capitol is the same fear we instill in our children, who are forced to be trained for active shooter drills before they can even read or write. Yes, these drills are for their protection, but there are far greater measures we can and should take to protect our children from being killed with a gun. Namely, pass laws that prevent gun violence.
Despite the great progress Illinois has made passing gun violence prevention legislation such as the ban on assault weapons and the requirement of universal background checks, we still have work to do. Guns are still the leading cause of death for children and teens in Illinois, and more than 1,600 people die from guns every year in our state.
Our legislators should think about their experience during the shelter-in-place order when it comes time to voting on legislation such as Karina’s Bill, which would make sure domestic abusers don’t have access to guns; a measure for secure gun storage to prevent access to guns by children and people at increased risk of harming themselves or others; and a bill that would hold straw purchasers accountable for “losing” guns in the illegal secondary market.
Our lawmakers should be running to the chamber to pass these bills, not wringing their hands waiting for the “right” time to take action.
Everyone in the Capitol was given the gift of more time. Now, use it. Please.
— Kathleen Sances, president and CEO, G-PAC
Corruption breeds corruption
Reading about how disgraced former Ald. Edward Burke continues to retain his law license made me wonder if the despotic environment of “you scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours” in our city and state will ever end. The checks and balances of our oversight apparatus are broken; hence, the need for the federal government to consistently keep a watchful eye over our elected officials and their affairs.
As the attorney general for the state of Illinois, Kwame Raoul could and should do more to root out the wrongdoing, but how can he? When the Democratic Party funds and controls you, blindness comes as part of the job.
Burke and former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan are simply more small drops in the buckets of patronage, nepotism and other forms of corruption that have existed in Illinois for decades, and it now appears that the Chicago Teachers Union is getting in line as well. Having a sitting mayor negotiate with the very organization that propelled him into office should be alarming to every respectable voter, but there have been few howls from those who see this about to happen.
And while we hope that Mayor Brandon Johnson recuses himself from these proceedings, it will probably not make much of a difference because his proxy would undoubtedly not stand in the way of CTU wringing all it can from the city’s coffers, as Johnson knows he must pay the king his shilling.
We can and must do better as voters. Our governments will never change if we continue to vote for charlatans who offer up very little in terms of concrete improvements and real societal change. Corruption breeds corruption.
Unless we finally clean house, we will continue to suffer and be the laughingstock of the Midwest.
— Ephraim Lee, councilor, 2nd Police District Council, Chicago
Confronting climate change
In its March 11 editorial (“Wildfires are starting up again. This year, we need a better plan.“), the Tribune Editorial Board writes about wildfires in Canada, the Western U.S. and Texas and their harmful effects, and it offers criticism of, and suggestions to, Mayor Brandon Johnson about steps he didn’t take last year and should take this year. All fine.
But the editorial board very curiously does that without a single sentence mentioning the overall problem of climate change and what our country (and other nations too) can and should do to reduce the very large and long-term problem of climate change. This failure leaves the very unfortunate impression that the editorial board doesn’t recognize or is unwilling to mention this huge issue and the significant societal steps that must be taken to reduce the problem long term.
And this omission is even more notable, given that in the same edition, there is a lengthy front-page report (“Climate affecting family planning”) about a significant percentage of young people deciding to have no children due to their concerns regarding human-caused climate change.
— Anthony Miller, LaGrange Park
Popularity of sleeper trains
In its March 8 edition, the Tribune published an Associated Press story titled “Swap emissions for legroom: Climate-conscious travelers skip planes, spurring revival of sleeper trains in Europe.”
Although the story is very positive toward the reemergence of overnight sleeping car trains in Europe, reporter Albert Stumm may have erred in claiming travelers are choosing sleeper trains over air travel because of concerns over the huge volume of carbon dioxide emissions generated by jet airliners
While climate consciousness undoubtedly plays a role in some travelers’ decisions to switch to sleeper trains, it’s more likely that the majority are choosing overnight rail simply for its convenience, privacy, lower cost and more rational use of travel time. Because a traveler must sleep somewhere, using the rail journey to get a night’s sleep eliminates the cost of a hotel room. Choosing the train also eliminates the cumbersome and time-consuming trip from the airport to the central business district while accommodating large volumes of luggage that need not be inspected or checked. And the privacy of traveling in silence in one’s own room simply cannot be duplicated by any form of air travel.
Also seldom mentioned in coverage of the European night train revival is the 1985 Schengen Agreement, which eliminated passport checks at most European borders. Overnight travelers can sleep soundly knowing they will not hear a rap on their compartment door at 2 a.m. followed by: “Your papers, please!”
Yes, overnight sleeper trains are good for the climate, but for people traveling 400 to 600 miles, they simply represent a good deal.
— F.K. Plous, Chicago
John Adams’ religious view
In a letter to the editor, a Tribune reader has a lot to say about our Constitution, finding considerable fault with it (“The state of guns in the U.S.,” March 10).
John Adams, our second president, said that “our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other.”
Our problems today of gun violence and rampant crime are not due to the ready access to weaponry, but because we are trying to impose a secular value system on a country that was intended for a moral and religious people.
It’s not the weaponry. It’s the hearts of people who want to hurt and kill other people.
— Larry Craig, Wilmette
Mayor should look within
I was deeply concerned to read of evictions that will be starting for migrants who will not be receiving exemptions. For Mayor Brandon Johnson to say, “They can return to the loading zone,” is a blithe out-of-touch remark to a perilous situation.
Colder weather is returning, and what of the financial needs that are involved? Do the people have the money to travel to the landing zone in the West Loop, as well as keep themselves and their families safe as they look for new shelters? Will the mayor be providing transportation back to where they started?
Johnson should look into the eyes of the people who will be receiving these evictions. If not, he should look into his heart.
— Mandy May, Evanston
Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.