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From the moment a child is born, a parent’s biggest fear is any harm coming to them, and we work most of our lives to keep our children safe. But what happens when your greatest nightmare becomes a reality?
Well, that’s what happened to me a little over 30 years ago when my 15-year-old son, Tommy, was shot and killed while attending a party when he got caught in the crossfire of two rival groups who had shown up to the event.
In a split second, my life changed. I became a member of a club no one wants to be a part of — one where parents like me are forced to bury their children because of senseless gun violence.
Before my son’s death, I spent my career working with troubled and neglected children. But, just in one night, the very demographic I fought so hard to protect stole something so precious from me — my son.
It is because of this tragedy that I decided to dedicate my life to ending senseless gun violence, and I threw myself into the fight. I had to do something to ensure that no other parent felt the same incredible pain that I did and still do to this day.
I hosted conferences, testified in Springfield and went to Washington to lobby for the 1994 assault weapons ban.
I joined rallies and marches and went to many funerals of families whose lives were destroyed by gun violence. I was a leader of the Million Mom March in Washington, which attracted up to 750,000 people. But through all this activism, I knew something had to change right here in Illinois.
For decades, lawmakers in Springfield carried the gun lobby’s water with no fear of accountability. The gun lobby weaponizes misinformation to create a culture of fear that envisions a state and country without access to firearms. Based on racist falsehoods, much of the misformation aids in perpetuating systemic factors that contribute to gun violence.
And as a result, children like Tommy paid the ultimate price with their lives.
We needed a political solution to take the fight to the top, so we could dismantle the immunity the gun industry cultivated at our cost. Gun Violence Prevention PAC Illinois (G-PAC) was our answer. We founded G-PAC to hold Illinois lawmakers accountable for allowing the gun industry to sacrifice our children and loved ones so that they can line their pockets with money gained through senseless bloodshed.
At G-PAC, we support candidates and lawmakers dedicated to public safety and create information campaigns for gun violence prevention advocates to get key legislation passed.
While there are those who believe much progress hasn’t been made in Illinois, our movement’s achievements say otherwise. Our first major success was in 2017 when lawmakers passed Illinois’ first comprehensive gun safety legislation. Our movement has grown only stronger since.
[ Opinion series: Turning the tide on Chicago’s gun violence ]
This year alone, we helped the state pass an assault weapons ban less than a year after the tragedy in Highland Park. Additionally, we helped pass House Bill 218, also known as the Firearms Industry Responsibility Act, to ensure that gun manufacturers are held accountable for their deceptive advertising practices.
Now, it is imperative that we stay the course with our work.
Chicago Tribune Opinion
Plain and simple, we’re playing an incredible game of catch-up, doing our best to undo decades of the gun lobby’s influence in our state. Our work has shown that change is possible — and it’s happening — but we must remain consistent with our strategies and tactics to continue to win.
It is imperative that lawmakers continue to support commonsense policies that will help reduce gun violence. Public safety must remain our priority over the profits and threats of gun manufacturers and their footmen.
And we must continue investing in community violence intervention programs. After two decades of working with at-risk youths, I know firsthand how access to resources can help change the direction of a young adult’s life. So much of the everyday violence we see in this state is due to systemic factors that make many feel like they have no choice other than to engage in senseless acts of violence to survive.
While there is nothing that will bring Tommy back or ease the pain I’ve learned to live with, the work we’re doing is helping other parents avoid experiences like mine.
After 30 years in the gun safety movement, I can proudly say we’re on the right track. We’re building a diverse movement dedicated to saving lives, and we’re holding our lawmakers accountable every step of the way. We must stay the course — the future of our state depends on it.
Tom Vanden Berk is a founder of Gun Violence Prevention PAC and Gun Violence Prevention Action Committee. Vanden Berk also is CEO at UCAN and a board member of the Grant Healthcare Foundation, Guitars Over Guns and Civic Federation of Chicago.
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