North Shore Residents Head To D.C. To Demand Assault Weapons Ban

HIGHLAND PARK, IL — A group of survivors of the Highland Park July 4 parade mass shooting and residents from nearby communities have come together to march on Washington to call for a federal assault weapons ban.

More than 500 demonstrators with a recently formed group called March Fourth visited the U.S. Capitol to ask lawmakers to pass House Resolution 1808 and Senate Bill 736 — proposed federal legislation that would ban assault-style weapons and magazines that can hold more than 10 rounds.

According to organizers, more than 100 family members affected by the Highland Park massacre, where seven people were killed and dozens of others wounded by a rooftop shooter last week, will be joined by 50 people from Uvalde, Texas, where a gunman fatally shot 19 students and two teachers inside an elementary school in May, at the rally.

The accused perpetrators legally purchased the AR-15-style rifles that were used in both shootings, authorities said.

“I was tired of feeling helpless and trapped as an American citizen raising kids who aren’t safe in schools, at concerts, at parades” said March Fourth founding member Kitty Brandtner, a Winnetka resident.

“I just wanted to stand together, scream at the top of our lungs and beg for real change," Brandnter said in a statement. "The majority of Americans don’t believe civilians should have access to assault weapons. Something has to change, and it can start with us.”

An online fundraiser to cover the cost of travel, lodging and other expenses had collected nearly $250,000 from 2,100 donations as of Tuesday.

Organizers said the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which President Joe Biden signed into law last month, invests in needed programs but is not nearly enough.

Congress allowed a decade-long ban on assault-style firearms to expire without a vote in 2004.

In Illinois, Julie Morrison, a Democratic state senator from the North Shore, has repeatedly introduced a statewide assault weapons ban. Even though her party holds the governorship and supermajorities in both houses, the proposal has never come to the floor for a vote.

According to March Fourth organizers, assault weapons ban advocates met with five U.S. representatives and seven senators Monday. All were Democrats, other than Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, who reportedly resisted including an assault weapons ban in the bipartisan bill.

“We cannot let this keep happening to our country, our neighbors, our children,” Brandtner said. “We are marching for everyone — everywhere.”

More Patch coverage of the Highland Park July 4 Parade shooting