Letter: Pass law to outlaw assault-style guns

I live in Deerfield, 10 minutes from where the July Fourth shooting happened.

I became involved in Moms Demand Action and Gun Violence Prevention because the threat of gun violence looms large in my everyday life as a teacher and a parent.

Sending kids to school, going to work, even a trip to the grocery store, shouldn't feel as dangerous as enlisting in the military.

After the shooting, my teenage daughter told me no place feels safe anymore. This is something I've felt for a long time.

It broke my heart that she was feeling it now, too.

Had a law like HB5855, The Protect Illinois Communities Act, been in place, the damage from most of the mass shootings over the past 20 years could have been prevented or curtailed.

There is no reason why a civilian should ever have access to military-style weapons. The proposed law will help save lives by keeping assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines out of the hands of dangerous people.

It will ban the sale, manufacturing and purchase of all assault weapons, update FOID card eligibility, raise the minimum age to purchase a gun to 21, and help stop the influx of illegal guns coming into Illinois.

I urge state legislators to pass HB5855. Please contact your local representatives and ask them to do the same.

Shana Ryback

Deerfield