Rep. Schneider, Police Chiefs, Local Officials Call for Renewed Focus on Reducing Gun Violence

Press Release

U.S. Congressman Brad Schneider, State Representative Scott Drury and Lake County State's Attorney Mike Nerheim joined eight local police chiefs for a bipartisan discussion on ways to combat gun violence at the federal, state and local levels. The forum was held at the North Chicago Police Department and concluded with the bipartisan group calling for a renewed focus on sensible efforts to reduce gun violence.

"At a time when 40 percent of gun purchases are done without a background check and 33 Americans are murdered every day with guns, we simply must to do more to turn the tide," Schneider said. "We will never be able to stop every violent crime, but inaction isn't acceptable. I am committed to passing expanded background checks for gun purchases and making illegal gun trafficking a federal crime."

"In just six months, our office worked to successfully implement assault-weapons regulations in many of our local communities and took steps to fix Illinois' broken gun registration system," Drury said. "Our success shows that if more leaders would prioritize ending the gun violence epidemic, instead of just talking about it, we could actually prevent future tragedies like the one in Newtown, Connecticut."

"We have seen an increase in street gang violence in Lake County," Nerheim said. "These criminals are bringing dangerous drugs into our community and gun violence continues to be their trademark. I am committed to working aggressively with local and federal law enforcement in an effort to eradicate this growing problem. Any successful effort must include cooperation between departments and agencies. The key is to keep dangerous weapons out of the hands of criminals and I support legislation that will help ensure that is accomplished, while balancing the rights of lawful gun owners."

This is the second gun violence prevention discussion hosted by Schneider, who supports common-sense gun control measures, including expanding background checks, making trafficking a federal crime and limiting access to assault weapons.

Schneider is a cosponsor of the Gun Trafficking Prevention Act and the Public Safety and Second Amendment Rights Protection Act, a bipartisan compromise that would expand background checks. He also signed a letter asking for adequate funding for the Bryne Justice Assistance Grant (Bryne JAG) and Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) programs.

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