As lawmakers try to wrap up this legislative session in its final week, students, mothers and others gathered on the steps of the Capitol in Springfield demanding action on gun safety.
Many of them are hoping for the same success they found last year, when the state banned the sale of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.
“Thank you for what you have done, thank you for what you are going to do today to make sure we get this done,” said State Representative Bob Morgan, who survived the Fourth of July Parade shooting in Highland Park that killed seven people and injured 49 others.
It was that incident, advocates for gun control said, that prompted action in Springfield.
This year, Moms Demand Action is pushing for three bills that would take the guns out of the hands of people involved in domestic violence situations, hold gun makers responsible for their actions and create a Homicide Victims Families’ Rights Act.
49th District State Representative Maura Hirschauer started her political career as an activist.
“We have heard the passionate stories from our survivors and we see you and we hear you,” she told the hundreds of people gathered from across Illinois for a Statewide Advocacy Day.
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But just down the street at the Illinois Supreme Court, the new assault weapons ban was again under fire. The Illinois Attorney General’s Office was appealing a downstate ruling that overturned the gun ban.
The justices questioned both sides during the oral arguments and asked about the purpose of the ban.
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“To freeze the supply of assault weapons,” answered the attorney arguing for Kwame Raoul’s office. “To increase public safety.”
But attorneys for the gun shops fighting the ban say it infringes on their rights.
“This was about the fundamental, individual right under the second amendment that could not be diluted by Illinois’ version of the second amendment,” said Jerry Stocks, the attorney representing the downstate gun shops challenging the ban.
While the state’s high court considers its ruling, the mothers and students demanding action say they plan to work to change the laws and hope the courts will follow.
“We need to be seen and heard because all of our lives are on the line,” said Mirabella Johnson, a Northwestern Junior who spoke on behalf of Students Demand Action.
