Art winner Danielle Jones with her teacher, Ms. Susie and Colleen Daley.

(May 18, 2011, Chicago) – The Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence (ICHV) announced the winners of the 16th annual “Student Voices Contest.,” an educational program that encourages and rewards young people for using their creativity to raise awareness about gun violence. ICHV will hold an awards ceremony on May 26th at Bridgeport Catholic Academy where several student winners, though not all, read selections of their essays and poetry and displayed their artwork to their peers. All of the student winners receive a new computer and a $25 gift certificate from a bookstore to further their educational opportunities.  computer and a $25 gift certificate from a bookstore to further their educational opportunities. (See complete listing of student winners below).

The Student Voices Contest is both inspirational and heart breaking: young people say they deserve the right to be safe in their communities and want opportunities to pursue their dreams. But students oftentimes express their pain and anger at losing friends and schoolmates to gun violence.

One winner, Sam Jones of Lawrence Hall Youth Services, created an art work that features a white dove, a symbol of peace, carrying a broken gun in its beak with the planet earth in the background. As Sam described, the dove is taking the gun into outer space, removing gun violence from our world. “At Lawrence Hall Youth Services, we are so proud of our youth and their many accomplishments, despite insurmountable challenges they face before we ever meet them. Many have experienced the trauma of urban violence,” said Mary Hollie, CEO at Lawrence Hall Youth Services. “The youth at Lawrence Hall are able to focus on their lives, and build their futures. Sam is a talented artist who is able to express his emotion through his artwork and I know he will continue to make a big impact in the community.”

Art winner Yesenia Villa with her art teacher Ms. Puentes.

“We congratulate and honor all of our student winners for using their talents and voices in speaking out about gun violence. It is truly inspiring to see the creativity, thoughtfulness and passion from our young people who care deeply about making our communities safer,” said Colleen Daley, Executive Director of Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence. “We are grateful for all of the schools that participated in this year’s Student Voices Contest, from our principals, teachers, parents and especially our young people who worked so hard and helped make this event a success. We were honored to hold this year’s awards ceremony at Bridgeport Catholic Academy, a school in Chicago which has demonstrated incredible leadership in helping to build this powerful educational forum.”

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Complete Listing Of Student Winners:

Division One (1st -4th grade)

Essay winners:

Kevin Johnson, 4^th Grade, St. Angela School

Kevin Thynne, 4^th grade, Bridgeport Catholic Academy

Poetry Winners:

Art winner Sam Jones with Colleen Daley and his art teacher Ms. Gould.

Gabrielle Portillo, 4^th grade, Bridgeport Catholic Academy

Art Winners:

Danielle Jones, 4^th grade, Scott Joplin Elementary

Makayla Lewis, 3^rd grade Lewis Lemon School, Rockford, IL

Yesenia Villa, 4^th grade, Daley Academy

Division two (5th- 8th grade)

Essay Winners:

Junina Furigay, 8^th grade, Hitch Elementary

Nigel Perrin, 6^th grade, Capital College Prep, Springfield, IL

Poetry Winners:

Cierra Robinson, 8^th grade, St. Angela School

Sam Zofkie, 7^th grade, Taft Academic Center

Art Winners

Daisy Evariz, 7^th grade, Daley Academy

Nicholas Lau, 6^th grade, Robert Healey Elementary

Abierre Minor, 6^th grade, Scott Joplin Elementary

Division Three ( 9th – 12th grade)

Board Member Marcia Adelman, Colleen Daley and BCA principal Ms. Buckley with BCA winner Gabrielle Portillo and Kevin Thynne.

Essay Winners:

Katie Mazziotti, 9^th grade, De La Salle

Margaret Rocha, 9^th grade, De La Salle

Poetry Winners:

Alejandro Cortez, 12^th grade, North Grand High School

Jada McLean, 11^th grade, Springfield High School, Springfield, IL

Art Winners:

Sam Jones, 11^th grade, Lawrence Hall Youth Services

CHICAGO, April 4, 2011 – A statewide poll of Illinois voters – conducted March 23-27 by renowned opinion researchers, The Mellman Group, and commissioned by the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence – reveals overwhelming opposition to a proposed state law allowing ordinary citizens to carry concealed handguns.

A large, 56-percent majority of Illinois voters oppose a proposal that would allow private citizens, not working for law enforcement, to carry concealed handguns in public places in Illinois. Just 34 percent favor a concealed carry law. When told that the proposed law would allow the carrying of “concealed, loaded handguns” (rather than simply “concealed handguns”), opposition jumps to nearly two-thirds, compared to just 29 percent who favor.

Even after hearing strongly worded arguments on both sides, 60 percent of Illinois voters are opposed changing the law, and only 33 percent are in favor.

Opposition to the proposal is also widespread across both ideological and geographic lines. A majority (57 percent) of moderates and two-thirds of liberals oppose concealed carry, and conservatives are evenly split. However, 62 percent of conservatives oppose the idea of loaded, concealed weapons. Chicago voters oppose concealed, loaded guns 86-to-12, and across northern Illinois, opposition is 73-to-24. In southern Illinois, 55 percent majority oppose carrying loaded, concealed weapons, while only 40 percent favor.

“What we see here is that the people of Illinois clearly do not want more guns on the streets, in their neighborhoods,” said Mark Walsh, Director of the Illinois Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, a project of the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence. “North to south, east to west; Republican or Democrat; liberal, independent or conservative, the will of the people is in plain sight: they want legislators to holster concealed carry.”

Concealed Carry may be a Loaded Vote

Opposition to changing the law is so robust that voters indicated their readiness to punish legislators who vote for a concealed carry law. By a nearly 2-to-1 margin, voters say they would feel less favorable toward their state representative if they voted in favor of concealed carry, while if their legislator opposed the law, they would feel more favorable by a margin of 43 percent to 21 percent.

When asked about gun safety laws in general, 59 percent of Illinois voters said that laws covering the sale and possession of firearms should be made more strict. In contrast, just 9 percent want them made less strict and 28 percent feel they should be kept as they are now.

Support for stricter gun control laws spans ideological lines: liberals (by a 56-point margin), moderates (by 41 points), and conservatives (by 8 points) all said laws on sale and possession should be made more strict.

A detailed analysis of survey results is attached; survey questions are available upon request. Mark Mellman, President and CEO of the Mellman Group, is available to discuss the survey.

• ICHV_statewidesurvey.pdf

• Mellman-ICHV_Concealed_Carry_Memo.pdf

The Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence (ICHV) is the oldest and largest statewide organization in the U.S. working to prevent the devastation caused by firearms. Founded in 1975 by four suburban Chicago women concerned about the tragic consequences of handgun proliferation and availability, ICHV works on a variety of fronts to educate, raise public awareness, and build coalitions to enact change in laws and behavior. For 35 years, ICHV has been a leader among state gun violence prevention groups.

The Illinois Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence (ICPGV), a project of Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence (ICHV), is a research-based public education campaign to promote meaningful gun policy reform in Illinois. Working with a statewide advisory group representing law enforcement, the medical and public health communities, faith-based organizations, local and state policymakers, victims and advocacy groups, ICPGV informs the public and the media on the facts about gun violence and prevention policies.

The Mellman Group provides research and strategic advice to clients ranging from the Democratic Leaders of both the U.S. House and Senate to Fortune magazine, from the World Wildlife Fund to United Airlines, from Intuit (the makers of Quicken) to the Pew Charitable Trusts. Many of the nation’s leading companies, membership organizations, public interest groups, government agencies, foundations, and political figures have turned to The Mellman Group for carefully researched, unbiased evaluations of public opinion.

By, Mark Walsh, Campaign Director, ICPGV

And Chris Boyster, Downstate Director of Community Affairs, ICHV

Now that the election is over it is important to re-cap what happened since last Tuesday and examine how the results will impact our efforts to move the issue of common sense gun laws forward-not only in Illinois but on the national stage as well.

One thing is clear; siding with the NRA is not the way to insure success at the polls. The fact is that Twenty-seven Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives who were endorsed by the National Rifle Association were defeated Tuesday, while only two incumbent Democratic House members who co-sponsored a legislation to close the gun show loop hole this session lost their re-election bids.

At the time that this is being written, it looks as if Governor Quinn will be Illinois’ next Governor. This will be good for gun violence prevention advocates. Until this election, Governor Quinn shied away from directly addressing this issue. However, gun violence was front and center in the campaign and we think we can all agree that it proves politicians can run on this issue and win!

While neither the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence nor the Illinois Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence endorse candidates or do political work, the Brady Campaign and Brady PAC-Illinois do and the results are clear. In the 13 races Brady PAC-Illinois endorsed candidates, 11 were victorious including 2 new supporters of common sense gun violence initiatives to the General Assembly. While Representative Elizabeth Coulson, who was one of the few Republican leaders on this issue won’t be returning next session, Daniel Biss, her successor, intends to be a voice for common sense gun legislation from the 17th district.

Furthermore, when we look at the races where the Democrats lost seats in Illinois, we can see that standing with the NRA does not assure re-election. Almost all of those flipped seats in the General Assembly that were held by Democrats, had a solid record of voting with the NRA. The House seats that the Democrats held on to, where held by persons who have voted for common sense gun laws the majority of the time. And the two seats that were flipped in the Illinois Senate, were held by persons that voted primarily with the NRA. Thus, politicians are learning the hard way that the support of the NRA is not a free-pass to re-election. Voters who believe in common sense gun legislation turn out to the polls and have a significant impact on who stays, and who leaves their office.

It does not look as if Veto Session will see a lot of activity, and as we look towards next spring’s session of the General Assembly, we still have the challenge of educating members that supporting common sense gun violence prevention legislation not only makes sense, but their constituents support these measures.

First, ICHV would like to thank Thom Mannard for his work as executive director of the organization. After serving as ICHV’s executive director for ten years, Thom recently accepted a position as director of public policy and government relations of the American Cancer Society’s Illinois Division. We wish Thom well in his new position.

During his time at ICHV, Thom led the organization’s work to educate, raise public awareness and support the movement to prevent gun violence. Whether he was participating in a coalition, sharing information with the public or informing policymakers about the importance of a legislative measure, Thom provided a strong, thoughtful and consistent voice on this critical issue.

ICHV has commenced the search for an executive director, and we will certainly keep you informed as this process continues.

In the interim, Tom Vanden Berk has agreed to serve as the interim director of ICHV. Tom has been very familiar with this movement since 1992, when he lost his 15 year-old son to gun violence. He has worked closely with ICHV over the years. Tom also currently sits on the executive committee of the Brady Center to Prevention Gun Violence. In recent years, he played a leading role in the creation of the Brady PAC in Illinois.

The vision of the board of ICHV is to make sure that all interested parties striving to prevent gun violence work closely together. It is especially important that we work together to be in control of the agenda on this issue in Springfield and D.C.

We look forward to your support. It is our goal to become even stronger as we work to prevent gun violence in Illinois.

Patrick D. Thompson

Chairman, Board of Directors

Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence

Student art work by Julio Tellez

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Julio Tellez:

Troubling Images of Gun Violence

There may be nothing surprising about it when a mother praises an artwork or other creation made by her child. In the case of Julio Tellez’s mother Esmeralda though, her son’s drawing for ICHV’s “Student Voices” contest carries an extra poignancy. That’s because it reflects her own upbringing amidst violence in a Chicago community.

Julio, who will be a freshman this fall at Tilden Tech, created a powerful drawing that fuses stories he has been told about his family’s (and, in particular, his mother’s) past with his own imagination and the troubling world of gun violence. In the drawing, a pregnant woman is pregnant with a baby that has a gun attached to it. She is standing on top of a gun that points directly at a terrified teenager. The image also includes a machine that, Julio says, play violent games for kids. And, in the background, two children are watching a TV that is broadcasting some kind of gun violence.

Meanwhile, in the distance, atop a hill, is a stark image of a graveyard.

The drawing is partly based on what Julio knows about his mom’s life. “My mom moved away from a violent neighborhood, where people in her family were joining gangs and doing drugs,” he says. (Neither Julio nor his mother wanted to identify the neighborhood, except to say that it is located in the city). “She decided that she didn’t want her kids to grow up in that environment.” Today, Julio, his mom, his stepfather and eight siblings (three brothers and five sisters) live together in a house in Chicago’s Back of the Yards community.

“When people are raised in the wrong environment, it’s going to lead to someone having a gun,” says Julio, who created his artwork while he was a student at Daley Academy on the south side. His art teacher, Ms. Puentes, encouraged him to participate in the “Student Voices” contest.

Julio says he has not been able to completely avoid violence in his community. He was robbed earlier this summer, and does not know if the robbers had a gun. “I was with my little brother and two friends. I was kind of scared. Still,” he says, “I believe it’s not where you live – it’s how you live.”

Though one reason his mother moved to the Back of the Yards community was to avoid violence, Julio says matter-of-factly that gangs have “shot in front of our house a few times.”

“Gun violence is something I worry about a lot,” he says. “I think that one of the only things that can help kids face it is parents. If parents don’t know where their kids are at 2 in the morning, I’m pretty sure there’s a problem.”

At night, Julio says, we definitely “stay in the house.”

Over the years, Julio’s mother says her guidance to Julio and her other children has, at times, been direct and practical. “I taught my kids early how to duck to the ground,” she says. “I’ve had two-year-olds who know how to drop to the ground. She says the family “hears gunshots at night five times a week.”

Though she moved away from home when she was 18 and still faces the reality of gun violence, Ms. Tellez retains faith in young people, including her son. She says “Julio has always drawn powerful things with a lot of meaning, so his drawings are not a surprise to me.”

She does, however, hope that more people listen to what kids are saying. “More good things about what kids do and say need to come to the public’s attention,” she says. “I see kids who are aware, but they don’t have people backing them up.”

By Kevin Barlow | kbarlow@pantagraph.com | Posted: Sunday, May 16, 2010 7:00 am |

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BLOOMINGTON — McLean County Sheriff Mike Emery has plenty to do.

“As sheriff, if you find yourself with a couple of minutes to sit down and return phone calls, that’s a slow day,” said Emery. “Most of the time, I am returning phone calls on my way to my next appointment.”

But as a supporter of pending legislation that would give Illinois residents the right to carry concealed weapons, Emery would not complain if some of the workload, as a byproduct of new laws, falls on his department.

Carry and conceal, or CCW, refers to the practice of carrying a handgun or other weapon in public in a concealed manner, either on one’s person or in close proximity.

“There are 48 states that currently have carry and conceal laws in place,” Emery said. “At this point, we can pick and choose what works best for the state of Illinois. You must have strict training certifications and adequate background checks. But at some point, the county sheriff departments would have to have some percentage of control to ensure it works for the benefit of everyone.”

Wisconsin is the only other state without a carry and conceal law on the books.

Earlier this month, an Illinois House committee pushed through three pieces of gun legislation, sending them to the full House for consideration. If approved, the package of laws would allow gun owners to have a proper, portable gun carrying case in which to transport their weapon. Opponents such as State Rep. Ed Sullivan, R-Mundelein, said the legislation is too vague.

“Judges all over the state would each make their own ruling on what is considered a proper, portable gun carrying case,” he said.

“One of the problems we have always had with proposed carry and conceal legislation is making it specific enough so there is no confusion about interpretation of the law,” said Jared Shoffner, a Dewitt County deputy who is running unopposed in the November election for DeWitt County sheriff. “I would support carry and concealed legislation, but part of the problem is how it is written and interpreted. We want to make sure that any legislation is the right step for law-abiding citizens and doesn’t allow criminals easier access.”

The bill’s sponsor, State Rep. Harry Osterman, D-Chicago, said that won’t happen — that measure would still prevent people with criminal records from owning firearms.

The Illinois Sheriff’s Association has endorsed carry and concealed legislation, even though specifics have yet to be ironed out.

“One of the main sticking points about the legislation is how it affects Cook County,” Emery said. “My thinking is that if that’s the case, then let’s write different legislation for Cook County. It seems to me, it’s that simple.”

Adding to the debate is a case pending before the U.S. Supreme Court on a challenge to Chicago’s existing ban on handguns. The court is expected to rule by late June.

Annual consideration

Carry and concealed weapons legislation is annually submitted and considered in Springfield. The current proposal is called the Family and Personal Protection Act and would allow the state to issue permits to carry concealed firearms after approval from a thorough application process. While the issue of CCW has been gaining more media attention, the bill isn’t expected to be considered in Illinois until at least November — if then.

Under the legislation, extensive background checks and mental evaluations would be required of every applicant seeking permit. There would be registration fees and gun owners would be required to attend training courses.

Ron Darnell, owner of Darnell Gun Works & Ranges just west of Bloomington, teaches such courses and said his clients are always asking about potential changes to the law.

“I wouldn’t know why anyone wouldn’t want a law to allow responsible citizens the right to carry a weapon,” Darnell said. “Statistics indicate the crime rate drops in states that enact carry and conceal laws. Who wants to start trouble with someone who might be carrying a weapon?”

Opponents argue the opposite and contend that even with safeguards in place, there simply is no reason for allowing more guns in public. Under the proposed legislation, guns would not be allowed in churches, schools, airports, stadiums and events where large crowds gather.

“The vast majority of Illinois residents feel that guns are OK to own and keep in your home, but not in public areas,” said Tom Mannard, executive director of the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence. “People won’t feel comfortable walking around in the business districts of Bloomington and Normal or near the ISU and Wesleyan campuses and on the same sidewalks as people with loaded guns.”

Mannard also argues any legislation that allows weapons in public places would not have a positive impact on safety.

“Bloomington-Normal has one of the fastest-growing populations in the state,” he said. “Do you really want to see more guns in that kind of environment?”

One of these days

Two years ago, the McLean County Board, along with dozens of others across the state, passed a resolution favoring protection of gun ownership rights under the Second Amendment. Normal resident Walter Biesiada helped organize the effort to get the resolution approved.

“Illinois and Wisconsin are the only two states where you can’t carry a gun,” Biesiada said. “Every other state that has approved legislation on this has continued to move forward and allow more freedom. None of them have moved backwards and restricted the rights after passage. That tells you that the proper legislation works.”

Darnell feels the time is approaching where Illinois citizens will be allowed to carry guns — after the proper background checks and training procedures are in place.

“One of these days we will get it,” he said. “The politicians in Chicago control a lot of votes and they don’t want it up there. But I think there will come a day when the citizens downstate get their way.”
Carry and conceal

House Bill 5221 calls for the creation of the Family and Personal Protection Act. It would:

* Allow State Police to issue permits to carry concealed firearms to persons at least 21 years of age who meet certain requirements;

* Authorize the county sheriff to evaluate the application and accompanying material, and within 30 calendar days transmit the application, accompanying material, and any objections to the application, and application fees to State Police.

* Require an applicant to have completed specified training requirements developed by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board consisting of classroom instruction and live firing exercises.

ICHV Insights Column by Mark Walsh

A number of years ago, I was working for an alderman in Chicago’s Back of the Yards neighborhood. At the time, there was an increase in all kinds of violence in this community. I used to get phone calls from two police districts with updates on shootings and gang crimes. What they told me would spin your head, and the experience put the issue of gun violence on my radar screen.

I sometimes think about those days, now that I am campaign director for the Illinois Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.

The campaign’s focus is to build up grassroots support on this issue — and also focus on research-based policy. We have a statewide advisory group that includes members of faith, law enforcement, elected officials, members of the victim’s community and medical community — all of whom understand that this is a common sense issue.

We know that there is statewide support to prevent gun violence. Before the start of the legislative cycles in 2007 and 2009, we conducted statewide polling on gun laws and various common sense initiatives related to this issue. For example, we learned that there was statewide support for keeping bulk purchases of guns from happening and requiring safe storage of guns.

This year, our main focus has been on universal background checks. The goal is to ensure that there is one universal background check for any handgun purchase. There is an exemption in the bill for guns that are passed on in the family, since a lot of people consider their handguns to be family heirlooms.

We also strongly support a bill that would increase the penalty to someone who gives a handgun to a gang member. We believe there is a good chance that this legislation will be passed in the Senate.

My role, however, is not just to deal with legislators in Springfield on these issues — it’s to reach out to communities around the state. For example, we organize support for meetings at district offices of legislators. Our reasoning is basic: We want to bring local constituents into these meetings — legislators want to hear from their own constituents. In addition, in many cases you have more time to meet with legislators in their district offices.

I also try to go to at least a couple of community meetings a week in Illinois and educate people on this issue. We have found, over and over, that people are willing to hear our side.

In truth, gun violence can happen everywhere. One of our biggest problems is that some people think this is a Chicago or big city issue — or that it’s racial. That’s just not true.

If there is a face to this issue — a survivor of gun violence, or someone related to a victim, for instance — that can open up people’s minds and eyes and show them that preventing gun violence makes sense. It also shows them that there are just too many guns in our communities. Just consider how many times you hear about accidental shootings, suicides and young people who decide to settle disputes with guns.

A large part of the problem is something we already know, but it bears repeating: there is a lack of desire among politicians to challenge the NRA. Part of the issue is that there is a perception — an incorrect one — that the NRA will come in and be able to beat you in an election or make your life miserable. However, when you talk to NRA members, many are more supportive of common sense solutions than we are led to believe. Many, many law-abiding folks — including NRA members — understand, for example, that limiting handgun purchases is not about infringing civil rights. It’s about keeping people safe.

The NRA higher-ups say “you can’t take my gun away.” The NRA’s rank-and-file, though, is giving voice to a different message, one that is more supportive of gun violence prevention efforts. We see what they are saying in polling data. We have learned through our polling that many NRA members support what we are doing. They know we are not out to take away people’s right to hunt or shoot for sport.

Meanwhile, we know that in these times, the focus of elected officials is often going to be on the economy. Are they really going to consider the gun issue? Well, I like to remember a saying: “Nothing stops a bullet like a job.” Focusing on employment opportunities is another key way to promote gun violence prevention.

We can’t afford to have people all across the state dying from gun shots. My attitude is that if we do something that keeps one person from being injured or killed, it’s worth that time or effort. If that one person is your husband, wife, friend, child, or anyone else close to you, it means a lot more. There’s always a reason not to do something. But if it’s the right thing to do, it’s the right time to do it.

Mark Walsh is campaign director for the Illinois Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. The Campaign is a project of the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence.

She said a loophole in Illinois law allows private gun sellers to skip the background check when selling a gun, which can allow people who wouldn’t otherwise qualify to get guns. Roughly 40 percent of gun sales in Illinois are private sales.

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