Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin leads congressional hearing to protect kids from gun violence

Illinois Senator Dick Durbin
Sen. Dick Durbin in April 2022. Photo credit Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Illinois U.S. Senator Dick Durbin led a congressional hearing on protecting young people from gun violence on Wednesday, and a Chicago voice was prominent in the proceedings.

As he opened the hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Durbin, who chairs the committee, said gun violence is traumatizing a generation of young people. Durbin said, sadly, the hearing is far too timely.

“Guns have now become the leading cause of death for children in America,” Durbin said in his opening remarks. “Not auto accidents. Not injuries in the home. Not cancer. Guns.”

Among those testifying was 19-year-old Ernest Willingham, from Chicago.

“I have seen my brother, my father, my cousin, and my best friend become victims of gun violence,” Willingham said. “My brother was shot while we lived in Cabrini-Green on two different occasions within a one-year timespan.”

Willingham, who’s currently a third-year student at Northeastern University in Boston, said people can point the finger at those holding the gun, single-parent households, or even poverty.

Until Congress takes a stand to save children, Willingham said, “We are pointing the finger back at you.”

Sen. Durbin said he's hopeful the framework for some new gun laws will survive the politics.

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Featured Image Photo Credit: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images