| Friend,
I was looking forward to walking in yesterday's 4th of July Parade in East Moline. It was canceled due to heavy downpours, but we soon learned that it likely wouldn't have gone on anyway after the shocking and senseless mass shooting in Highland Park, IL -- just a two-hour drive to the east.
At least six are dead and dozens are injured because a 22-year-old got his own hands on an assault rifle and turned it on his own community as they celebrated the Fourth. Witnesses recounted hearing the local marching band play “Yankee Doodle” as gunfire rang out.
On a day we recognize our independence and what makes this nation so special, we were given a stark reminder of something else that's uniquely American: our gun violence epidemic. Highland Park now joins Uvalde, Buffalo, Aurora, Newtown, Sandy Hook, and far too many other communities across the country exposed to this horror.
One eyewitness told reporters, “these shootings are happening all the time. I guess we are just supposed to stay at home now." That’s a grim, but completely reasonable response.
What are we supposed to do when we can’t shop in a grocery store without fear of being shot? How should we respond when we can’t go to church, school, the theater, concerts, the doctor’s office, and now -- a Fourth of July parade -- without fear of being shot?
We need to do more to keep guns out of the hands of people wanting to do harm. That means an outright ban on assault rifles and investing more in mental health access. Doing nothing is not an option.
If there’s any silver lining, it's that bipartisan progress is being made in Washington to keep the American people safe through stronger background checks and red flag laws – but more needs to be done. I hope for all our sakes that yesterday's shooting will be the wake-up call that we need.
In the meantime, my heart is with the victims and their families, and I am praying for peace in our country.
- Eric
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Eric Sorensen
Meteorologist | Candidate for Congress (IL-17)
309-306-1717
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