Senator Tammy Duckworth
524 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510
Senator Richard J. Durbin
711 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510
Dear Illinois Senators Duckworth and Durbin,
My name is ________, and I am a senior in the Social Work program at the University of Illinois-Springfield. I have lived in Illinois for all of my 21 years. I am writing to thank you both for your support of the reintroduction of the Keep Americans Safe Act. This bill aims to ban the “importation, sale, manufacturing, transfer, or possession of gun magazines that hold more than ten rounds of ammunition,” (“Senators Markey & Menendez Re-Introduce”, 2023). Although this bill died in the 117th Congress, I am glad it is being reintroduced to the 118th with the help of cosponsors like you.
The most widely accepted definition of a mass shooting is an event in which four or more people are shot and killed (Uribe & Sherman, 2023). High-capacity magazines, which hold ten or more rounds of ammunition, make mass shooting events more deadly. According to Everytown Research (2019), between 1981 and 2017, mass shootings that involved a high-capacity magazine injured 14 times as many people and were twice as deadly as those that did not. Within the past decade, the five deadliest mass shootings in the United States were carried out using high-capacity magazines (Everytown, 2019). If the Keep Americans Safe Act had been implemented, the hundreds of people killed in Las Vegas, Orlando, Newtown, Sutherland Springs, and Parkland may still be alive today. High-capacity magazines are designed to kill and to kill fast. There is no reason for civilians to have access to these kinds of weapons.
As a student, I would be lying if I said the idea of a mass shooting occurring at school did not frighten me. Less than two weeks ago, there was a mass shooting at Michigan State University, which is just five hours north of my own university. I have undergone routine school shooter drills since the fourth grade. For over a decade, teachers and administrators have told me, “hide,” “don’t try to save your friends,” “don’t make a sound,” “use anything you can find as a weapon,” “we won’t let you in the classroom if you’re in the hall during a lockdown,” among other things. Children should be able to go to school without fear of dying next to their friends. People should be able to go to the supermarket without fear of being gunned down in the meat aisle. Everyone should be able to leave home without fear of becoming a victim in the next mass shooting. The Keep Americans Safe Act is a step in the right direction.
Assuming both of you hold the values of caring and fairness, the Keep Americans Safe Act is a fine reflection of these. By cosponsoring this bill, you are placing the emotional and physical well-beings of American citizens above all else. By advocating for the prohibition of high-capacity magazines, you are advocating for people to be able to go places with less fear and likelihoods of mass shootings. Additionally, since this bill is regarding the ban of high-capacity magazines—not all guns—there is a fair balance between citizens’ safety and their Second Amendment rights. As a future social worker, I, too, value care and fairness, which contributes to my support and appreciation of your cosponsoring of this bill.
I look forward to seeing how the bill progresses through the 118th congress. I will be sure to consider you both when it comes time to show up to the polls. Thank you, again, for your dedication to keeping Americans safe from unnecessary harm.
Sincerely,
_______________
References
(2019, March). Assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. Everytown. https://everytownresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2020/07/EFGV02_Assault-Weapons-and-High-Capacity-Magazines_Rd2_6-1.pdf
(2023, February 8). Duckworth, Durbin join senate colleagues in reintroducing legislation to ban high-capacity magazines. Tammy Duckworth U.S. Senator for Illinois. https://www.duckworth.senate.gov/news/press-releases/duckworth-durbin-join-senate-colleagues-in-reintroducing-legislation-to-ban-high-capacity-magazines
(2023, February 9). Senators Markey and Menendez re-introduce Keep Americans Safe Act which bans high-capacity firearms. Framingham source. https://framinghamsource.com/index.php/2023/02/09/senators-markey-menendez-re-introduce-keep-americans-safe-act-which-bans-high-capacity-firearms/
Uribe, M. R., & Sherman, A. (2023, February 14). What counts as a “mass shooting”? The definition varies. PolitiFact. https://www.politifact.com/article/2023/feb/14/what-counts-as-a-mass-shooting-the-definition-vari/
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