Letter to the Editor: Local Congressmen Have Not Offered Statement on Gun Control

As of the writing and submission of this letter, I have contacted both Congressman Bill Foster’s office and Randy Hultgren’s office in Washington D.C. in regards to President Obama’s detailed and significant legislation to do something about the out of control gun violence in this country. 

To date, both Bill and Randy have no significant opinion or statement that I can find on this issue. Without question, people are very angry about what happened in Newtown, CT and people want action from their government to find ways to make our country safer and no longer be the leader in the industrialized world with respect to gun violence.

On this issue, it is unacceptable for both of our congressmen and any other member of congress to remain silent or neutral on this issue.  This issue  for as complex as it may seem, the position of each member of congress is simple and straight forward, they are either for the president’s legislation or they are not.  Regardless of their position, Bill Foster and Randy Hultgren are absolutely required to give a position and detailed statement on this issue. 

It is most troubling to me that Randy Hultgren as of the submission of this letter has said not one thing publically about this incident in Newtown and the awful shooting of 26 innocent people. He has statements about Hamas shooting rockets into Israel and the attack on our embassy in Libya on his website.  Yet there is nothing about a shooting that involved 20 school children in his own country? 

Bill Foster was given a second chance which is rare in American politics this past November 2012.  Will Bill once again avoid the public on critical issues and attempt to avoid them as he did while he was my congressman in the 14th district?  I certainly hope not for his second time around and especially on this issue; I hope he is as vocal as he possibly can be for doing what is right.  President Obama has supported Bill Foster in the past; I hope Bill can support him on this issue in a big way. 

Since 1968 per the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence web site, we have had more than one million people killed by guns in our country.  100,000 people on average shot a year and 30,000 killed by the use of a gun.  Any reasonable person can say this is totally unacceptable and out of control.  We elect our members of congress to act and help resolve our major national issues. 

This is as major as it gets and sitting on the side lines and doing nothing is not an option.  If both Randy and Bill take this approach, it’s time to once again look for new members of congress who are concerned about the well-being of our most cherished people in our country, our children.  What reasonable person can argue against that? 

Let’s hope Bill Foster and Randy Hultgren will care and take action.  Please contact their offices today and express your concerns on this issue please.  We are a great nation still and we are much, much better than what is happening today with respect to gun violence.

David R. Edelman
Oswego, IL