Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel recently was in Washington, D.C., for a Justice Department summit on violent crime, where he also met with the Illinois Congressional Delegation at a meeting hosted by U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL).
Other delegation members present included Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) and U.S. Reps. Cheri Bustos (D-Dist. 17), Rodney Davis (R-Dist. 13), Luis Gutierrez (D-Dist. 4), Robin Kelly (D-Dist. 2), Dan Lipinski (D-Dist. 3), Mike Quigley (D-Dist. 5) and Jan Schakowsky (D-Dist. 9).
Durbin has been fighting to boost gun-control efforts. While speaking recently on the Senate floor, he told the story of Chicago Police Officer Thomas Wortham IV. After two tours in Iraq, Wortham was shot and killed outside of his family’s home in Chicago. The weapon was a straw-purchased gun used by gang members.
“We can stop the gun lobby from gutting the laws on the books, and we can close the loopholes that allow guns to flow into the hands of criminals,” Durbin said. “As President Obama said, our thoughts and prayers are not enough – stopping this violence requires courage and political will. I’ve seen too many lives cut short, too many families and communities devastated by this violence to give up on this effort. I hope Congress can rise to the challenge.”
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