On Tuesday, nearly 350 doctors are calling on legislators to pass the Protect Illinois Communities Act during the lame duck session. In a letter released today, doctors from across the state speak about the devastating trauma that gun violence has on our communities, calling it “a public health crisis.” In emergency rooms, operating rooms, and hospitals across the state, doctors see the impact gun violence, especially from assault weapons, has on innocent Illinoisans and why we must take action to prevent it.

“At the Highland Park parade, I saw first-hand the carnage that was inflicted on innocent victims by an assault weapon. It literally blew bodies apart. Weapons of war have no place in the hands of civilians. We all should have the freedom to attend a parade, a school, or a shopping mall without fear. This is a public health and safety crisis,” said Dr. David Baum of Northwestern Memorial Hospital. The letter is signed by doctors from dozens of hospitals, including University of Chicago, Rush University Medical Center, Lurie Children’s Hospital, Northwestern Memorial, Sinai Chicago, University of Illinois, Advocate Aurora, and more. 

“Intentional firearm-related injuries disproportionately affect communities of color. These injuries rob communities of lives, steal the innocence of childhood, and leave bodies hollowed out of hope,” said Dr. Selwyn O. Rogers, Jr., James E. Bowman, Jr., MD Professor in the Biological Science at the University of Chicago Medicine & Biological Sciences, and is also a leading trauma surgeon. “I believe that one’s exposure to firearm-related injuries should not depend on where you are born, where you live, your race or ethnicity, or your economic status. The exposure should be ZERO so we can maximize the human potential of all people.”