Dear friends,

I cannot stop thinking today about the dozens of men and women, mostly young people with a lifetime ahead of them, who were gunned down this past weekend in a vicious and hate-fueled massacre at an Orlando nightclub.

I stand in solidarity with the LGBTQ community as it searches for answers and compassion in the aftermath of such horror. Like so many parents across the country, I will struggle – yet again – to find the words to explain this kind of violence and hatred to my children.

We will mourn and pray together as a nation that this senseless violence does not happen again. We will offer support and love to the people of Orlando.

But we also must take action. We must do more to prevent guns from ending up in the hands of people who seek to kill others.

We must continue to pressure lawmakers, including those here in Illinois, to put sensible gun-safety laws on the books, even in the face of condemnation by those who go to great lengths to quell national and statewide conversations on this matter.

And we must do more to enforce the laws that already exist, while ensuring that we provide funding for the types of services, screenings and education that will help to create a safer Illinois.

As we now deal with the aftermath of the deadliest mass shooting on U.S. soil, my hope is that we can find a way to talk to each other, not past each other, so that we may work toward putting an end to the shooting massacres and gun violence that have become all too common in this nation.

I invite the community to join me and other government and faith leaders for a solidarity and prayer vigil for the Orlando shooting victims. The vigil will begin at 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 15, at Scoville Park, 800 Lake St., Oak Park.

Please feel free to contact me at 708-848-2002 with any comments or suggestions about what more we can do to come together and to demand change.