Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, entire neighborhoods in my city of Chicago are being torn apart by violence. Last week, from Wednesday evening through Sunday evening, more than 70 people were shot in Chicago, 11 of whom died. Last year, over 500 people were murdered in my city. Of these murders, 80 percent were gang related, and nearly 90 percent were at the hands of a gun. The numbers speak for themselves. The city of Chicago is facing an epidemic of violence and the reasons behind it are clear. There are many ideas to solve this problem. One--rounding up 18,000 members of the Gangster Disciples--is simply not legally or financially feasible. What is feasible and a significant way to stop gun violence in my city is to stop the flow of illegal guns into Chicago. One reason the violence is at record levels is because gang members have such easy access to illegal guns. It's time for the Federal Government to step in and do something about it. Despite the city's tough gun laws, Chicago cops are recovering illegal guns at nine times the rate of their counterparts in New York City. That's nearly three times the number of weapons in a city one- third the size. These outrageous numbers call for nothing short of a Federal response. We need a renewed effort at the Federal level to prosecute gun traffickers who put illegal weapons in the hands of gang members. We need to give our law enforcement the tools they need to put these guys away.…”