Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton on Highland Park Shooting: ‘Too Many Guns on Our Streets’

Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton (D) called for stricter gun control laws and said, “there are too many guns on our streets,” in a statement after a gunman murdered at least six and injured 24 more at a July 4 parade in Chicago’s Highland Park neighborhood.

Stratton offered her prayers for the Highland Park community but noted that “the pain we are feeling today is not normal and should never be.”

“My family and I are praying for the Highland Park community and all who attended the 4th of July parade today to celebrate our country only to have that celebration turned into tragedy,” Stratton added.

“Our state is saddened and stunned by this horrific act of gun violence. We must lean on each other for comfort, and pray for the lives lost, those injured, their family and friends, as well as the brave first responders from every government agency working this mass shooting,” Stratton continued.

Stratton then went on to call for increased gun control.

“As we struggle to process all that is happening today, we must again say ENOUGH,” Stratton said. “There are too many guns on our streets and we must enact common-sense gun laws, stricter policies, and put resources in place to build the safe, healthy communities everyone deserves.”

“Today we mourn with the people of Highland Park, and we make it clear that we see them and all who are impacted by gun violence in our state by remaining committed to healing from such immense pain,” Stratton concluded.

Despite Stratton’s plea for increased gun control, Highland Park already has some of the strictest gun laws in the nation. In 2013, Highland Park officials passed an “assault weapons” ban as well as a ban on ammunition magazines that hold more than ten rounds.

As Breitbart News’s Ken Klukowski chronicled at the time, “The city of Highland Park is part of the greater Chicago area and has a long track record of opposing citizens exercising the Second Amendment’s right to keep and bear arms.”

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) also called for increased gun control in the shooting’s aftermath, saying, “I will stand firm with Illinoisans and Americans: we must – and we will – end this plague of gun violence.”