Chicago In the wake of a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, that killed at least 19 students and two adults, Governor JB Pritzker and Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton released the following statement:
"Our hearts ache for the families of the children and teachers who were senselessly killed at Robb Elementary School. As parents of school—age children, we cannot even begin to fathom the pain and loss they are experiencing. We grieve with the entire Uvalde community.
"Ten years ago, after 26 lives were tragically taken at Sandy Hook Elementary School, we should have said enough is enough. The federal government has had a decade to pass universal background checks, which we've instituted in Illinois, to protect our children and the tens of thousands of victims of gun violence across our country, but they have failed to do so.
"In the simplest of terms, this is the fault of the Republican Party. This is a uniquely American problem because we have a political party that is more concerned with banning books and policing reproductive rights than actually saving lives. The same GOP politicians who are sending their empty condolences to Texas are bought and paid for by the gun lobby. But it's not too late to make a change.
"It has never been more critical to rally together and vote like our lives depend on it because they do. We can't keep electing sham candidates backed by the NRA who care more about profits than protecting the lives of their fellow Americans. Thoughts and prayers have never been enough it's time for real, substantive action to end the gun violence epidemic in our country."