CRLMC Response to the Independence Day Shootings in Highland Park

Community Renewal Society, as a member of the Council of Religious Leaders of Metropolitan Chicago, share this statement condemning the mass shooting in Highland Park on July 4. This response has been sent to Governor JB Pritzker, Speaker Chris Welch, President Don Harmon, President Joe Biden, Senator Dick Durbin, and Senator Tammy Duckworth.

July 7, 2022—The Council of Religious Leaders of Metropolitan Chicago condemns the shootings that took place during the Independence Day parade in Highland Park. We grieve for those who were murdered and pray for a full and speedy recovery of the wounded. We are grateful to the police officers and others who came to their aid. We pray for the community of Highland Park whose day of celebration is now irrevocably altered. We also believe that prayers, however necessary, are not sufficient.

The perpetrator of this heinous crime used an assault-style rifle with high-capacity ammunition magazines. More than 80 bullets were fired in a few seconds. Such weapons are designed solely to kill human beings. These weapons of war are very effective and legally accessible in Illinois. This situation must change.

In every religious tradition, human life is sacred. The common values and moral standards which unite our Council lead us to reject weapons of war in our communities. We therefore call on Governor Pritzker and the Illinois General Assembly to enact a ban on the sale of assault weapons and to impose a safe storage requirement for those assault weapons currently in circulation. We also call on President Biden and the Congress to pass similar national legislation.

These actions address only one facet of gun violence. We recognize that there are many other steps. However, time is not on our side. We must act now.