Stop bill allowing silencers

We are listening to the voices of teenagers in our country who are saying, "enough." They are not talking only about Marjory Stoneham Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. They are speaking about decisions made or not made at the local, state and federal level about sensible gun legislation.

Right now, The Hearing Protection Act of 2017 - misleading in name and extreme - would make it easy for criminals to obtain gun silencers by removing silencers from the National Firearms Act. Now part of the SHARE Act, the so-called Hearing Protection Act legislation would roll back existing federal silencer safety laws and make it easy for anyone, including felons and domestic abusers, to buy silencers without a background check, simply by finding an unlicensed seller.

I have a son in college and a daughter teaching English language and kindergarten. Being an active voice in pursuing legislation that respects individual rights and protects communities is a responsibility we all share.

As a current Glen Ellyn District 41 school board member, as well as a member of Moms Demand Action in Glen Ellyn, a national organization that supports sensible gun legislation, it is my responsibility to engage to find solutions to what many think is either too complex or a black-and-white issue.

In December 2017, Rep. Peter Roskam voted no on H.R. 38 the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act. He opposed the legislation "because it would allow out-of-state individuals with no license, no permit and no training to carry a concealed weapon in Illinois." I called Rep. Roskam's office to thank him for his vote. I ask Rep. Roskam to vote no this time on the Hearing Protection Act. It's time to listen to our teenagers, engage our legislators and act to make all communities safer.

Erica Nelson

Wheaton