March 08, 2023

Duckworth Discusses Community Safety and Violence Prevention with Chicago Urban League

 

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today met with Chicago Urban League CEO Karen Freeman-Wilson and COO Calmetta Coleman to discuss Chicago Urban League’s efforts to help keep Chicagoans safe and achieve equity for communities of color. Duckworth discussed her support of an assault weapons ban and her efforts for more commonsense gun safety reforms, as well as support for community violence prevention efforts. A photo from today’s meeting is available here.

“Too often, we see Chicagoans struggle with violence in their communities,” Duckworth said. “All families deserve to feel safe, and I’m proud of the work organizations like the Chicago Urban League are doing to help prevent violence and bring equity to communities that have been neglected for far too long. I’ll keep doing what I can to ensure our communities have the support they need and that weapons of war have no place on our streets.”

Duckworth is a fierce advocate for getting weapons of war off our streets, as well as for addressing and helping eliminate the community gun violence far too many students and families in Chicago—and in every corner of our state—suffer from regularly. Duckworth supported the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act which helps crack down on straw purchasing, expands background checks for buyers under 21 years of age, takes steps to close the “boyfriend loophole,” supports state red flag laws, and offers billions in funding for counseling, mental health and trauma support for victims of gun violence.

Duckworth is also a supporter of more violence prevention programs, helping announce more than $15 million to Illinois violence prevention programs last year.

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