Official Position: Gun violence

As a lifelong Chicagoan, I understand that gun violence is a constant, insupportable problem. I recognize that the laws and public opinions on this issue often coalesce into an emotional and logistical quandary, but the number of times I've heard Kathy Brock or Cheryl Burton--our local news anchors--say a variation on "was not the intended target" in reference to an adolescent child who has been shot or killed, is excruciating. And I have never met these children. I can only imagine the pain felt by their mothers, their siblings, is unbearable. Unlivable, almost.

People can be murdered in a number of ways. My father was a trauma surgeon at St. Mary's, across the street from Humboldt Park, in the eighties. Murder capital of the country, maybe even the world. And he has stories: he's operated on a man with an axe in his chest. But I find it hard to believe that with an axe, a potential murderer could slay an "unintended target."

The Sandy Hook Massacre is a truly horrific event. But it is also important to realize that these massacres are not isolated events. Gun violence kills thousands every year, and many of those thousands die in Chicago. Gun violence is destroying my city. In one summer, Chicago will see three times as many children shot down at Sandy Hook Elementary shot down while walking on our sidewalks or playing in their lawns. This is not right, and this will never be right. I only ask that those in this country with legislative powers see this, and think on this issue.