G-PAC is proud to announce our endorsement for Rahm Emanuel for re-election. It was an easy decision for us – Rahm has worked his entire career to protect children and families by reducing gun violence. He has been a reliable, consistent and innovative leader during some of our most challenging times and through our biggest victories.
Victims and Father Pfleger standing with G-PAC at St. Sabina.
Rahm’s first big fights on reasonable gun safety reforms came in the 1990s when he worked for President Bill Clinton. As part of his job, Rahm was responsible for helping to pass landmark gun safety reforms: the Brady Bill that instituted federal background checks and the assault weapons ban. Those fights weren’t easy, and they weren’t settled on the first round. But Rahm stuck with them for round after round until our country enacted the most effective gun safety reforms in our lifetimes. Rahm’s efforts are critical to our mission of reducing gun violence for all the families of Chicago. In January 2014, we were all frustrated and disappointed when a federal court forced the City to allow gun sales within the city limits. Rahm didn’t take the decision lying down – he took action by passing a new city law regulating gun sales. The law incorporates evidence-based, best practices from around the country that have been proven to deter illegal trafficking from gun stores. Under the Mayor’s leadership, Chicago now has the toughest law in the country. In Chicago, gun stores have to train employees to spot and deter traffickers, keep records of guns recovered in crimes, videotape the point of sale, and take steps to make sure their store is protected from theft. According to a report released last year, 40 percent of the guns recovered by the Chicago Police Department each year were originally sold by gun stores here in Illinois. Over 3,000 guns recovered by CPD in the last 5 years were originally sold by just four retail stores. Think about those numbers for a minute – and realize how much good we can do with strong leaders like Rahm and a reasonable statewide solution. We need the state to regulate these gun shops and make sure they are taking basic steps to deter illegal gun traffickers. These safety measures are a major priority for G-PAC and we know that Rahm will be fighting with us shoulder-to-shoulder, like he always has. Rahm is the only candidate with a 20-year record of taking on the NRA, passing meaningful gun legislation and putting together a plan to reduce gun violence in all our neighborhoods. We are proud to endorse him. Don’t wait until the 24th – vote today. |