Political Quotes

“I rise to speak about the problem of gun violence in America. Every day we lose over 30 men, women and children in violent shooting deaths. More than 11,000 Americans are murdered with guns each year. That is more deaths each year than all the American lives lost in the 9/11 attacks . . . and the Iraq war and the Afghanistan war combined. Every day provides some grim reminder of the toll of gun violence in our nation. And today marks yet another sad anniversary. Five years ago today, on February 14, 2008, a gunman entered a lecture hall on the campus of Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. The gunman opened fire on the students gathered in the hall, taking the lives of five students and wounding 17 others. The five Illinoisans we lost that day were: Gayle Dubowski, 20 years old, from Carol Stream, who sang in her church choir and enjoyed working as a camp counselor; Catalina Garcia, of Cicero, age 20, who had a glowing smile and who hoped to be a teacher someday; Juliana Gehant, of Mendota, age 32, a veteran of the United States Army and Army Reserve who also dreamed of becoming a teacher; Ryanne Mace, of Carpentersville, only 19 years old, who aspired to work as a counselor so she could help others; and Daniel Parmenter, 20 years old, from Westchester, a rugby player and a gentle giant who died trying to shield his girlfriend from the shooter. This day was devastating for the families of the victims, for the NIU community, and for our nation.…”