Nearly 350 Doctors Across the State Call on Legislators to Pass the Protect Illinois Communities Act

Having witnessed toll of gun violence first hand, Illinois doctors know there is no time to waste 

January 4, 2023

CHICAGO, IL - Today, 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, 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.”

“Gun violence kills over 120 people daily and has become the number one killer of children. As an Emergency Medicine Physician who has always worked at Level 1 trauma centers, I have treated hundreds of gunshot victims. I know the devastation that gun violence has on patients and their families, but also on the many healthcare workers who care for these victims. I support any legislation that will help reduce all forms of gun violence, including everyday city gun violence, the staggering numbers seen related to suicide and domestic violence, as well as the horrific mass shootings in our communities. We must address gun violence as a true public health crisis - strengthening our laws will help us get there,” said Dr. Halleh Akbarnia, MD, FACEP, an Emergency Medicine Physician at Advocate Condell Medical Center.

Read the full letter:

As doctors, we have witnessed first hand the trauma that gun violence inflicts on communities and families across our state. The pervasiveness of weapons designed to kill multiple people quickly is a threat to everyone, regardless of where you live. And now, we have the ability to dramatically reduce the number of these senseless and brutal gun related deaths here in Illinois.

All the state legislature needs to do is pass the Protect Illinois Communities Act: 

Ban assault weapons. 

Ban large capacity magazines. 

Require assault weapons be certified.

Strengthen red flag laws.

Provide ISP tools to better combat the influx of illegal guns across state lines into Illinois.

Assault weapons are too lethal to serve any purpose in our society other than to kill. High capacity magazines infinitely increase the deadliness not just of assault weapons, but of handguns too. With weapons of war too easily at their disposal, mass shooters are able to inflict unimaginable carnage in seconds. We need stronger laws to make sure that guns do not fall into the wrong hands, because when they do, the results are deadly.

We refuse to be complacent in a country where guns are the leading cause of death among children and teens. No one deserves to live in constant fear that every school, church, grocery store, park, parade, or even hospital could become the scene of the next massacre.

We do not have to live like this. 

Gun violence is a public health crisis, and like any other disease, it requires immediate treatment. We cannot wait to pass this legislation while people continue to die from preventable violence everyday. Do not water down this bill in fear of the NRA. Pass the Protect Illinois Communities Act, now. 

Click here to view the full list of doctors supporting the Protect Illinois Communities Act.