Appalled by Roskam vote on gun bill

I am horrified by the resolution to repeal an existing regulation that recently passed in the U.S. House allowing people with severe mental illness to obtain guns.

I am a former public school teacher and a mother of two young children. My first grader performs lockdown drills at school in case someone starts a killing spree.

For years, the GOP has toed the line that gun violence is not a gun issue, but a mental health issue.

So, I was disgusted to learn that my Congressman, Peter Roskam, voted in favor of this extreme gun rights resolution. I think that if Mr. Roskam were to actually listen to all of his constituents, not just his Republican fans, he would learn that this is a direct contradiction to what we actually want.

We live in "nice" communities, and yet we are still not safe from gun violence. In the U.S., we are 25 times more likely to be killed with a gun than in any other first world nation. On average, 93 people are killed every day with guns. Moreover, 62 percent of firearm deaths in the U.S. are suicide. Laws restricting who can buy guns and how they obtain them will make us safer, especially the mentally ill who seek to commit suicide.

This vote was clearly a response to the $3,000 of NRA campaign contributions and blind GOP loyalty, and not to the will and well-being of his constituents.

Julie Hill

Glen Ellyn