A call for more gun control laws
After 60 minutes in agonizing limbo as she waited to hear if her son, a Northern Illinois University student, survived Thursday's massacre, Connie Catellani doesn't want to wait anymore.
The Skokie physician joined other parents and gun-control advocates calling for tougher measures to prevent firearm violence during a Saturday news conference at Oakton Community College.
"It was the longest hour of my life," said Catellani, whose vigil ended when her son, an NIU senior, text-messaged her that he was safe.
Five students at the DeKalb campus died Thursday at the hands of a troubled 27-year-old, who killed himself after showering a lecture hall with bullets from three handguns and a shotgun.
The gunman had a firearms owners identification or FOID card, and obtained the weapons legally from a Champaign gun shop.
Catellani and Jennifer Bishop, state director of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, called for universal background checks on firearms purchases, including gun shows. They also advocated for a ban on assault weapons and bulk purchases of firearms.
"We are outraged," said Bishop, a Northfield resident whose pregnant sister and husband were shot to death by a teenage gunman in their Winnetka home. "This did not have to happen."
Catellani, an NIU alumna, added, "while we wait, children are dying."
Details are still emerging about the shooter's history with mental illness. He spent time in a group home after graduating from Elk Grove High School, and received treatment for his condition.
After the Virginia Tech mass shooting in 2007, the Illinois General Assembly enacted a gun violence law that goes into effect this June. It requires mental health professionals to inform Illinois State Police if patients at outpatient centers are deemed a threat to others or themselves. Previously, the requirement was limited to inpatient facilities, such as hospitals. It also requires information be shared with a national database.
Bishop said she doubted if the new law would have prevented the killings -- a matter state leaders may put under the microscope soon.
Attorney General Lisa Madigan is expected to convene a meeting of law enforcement experts and gun control advocates this week to examine the issue in light of the NIU tragedy, a spokeswoman said.
State Sen. Christine Radogno called the impact of the law on a case like the NIU shooter uncertain.
Often, psychotic episodes don't manifest themselves until the late teens, said the LaGrange Republican, who has her master's degree in social work.
"At that point, they may already have their FOID card," she said.
According to the National Rifle Association, thousands of gun control laws are already on the books. Yet despite restrictions on firearms, violence continues to mount in cities with such bans, the lobbying group contends.
The best way to reduce crime is to enforce the laws already in existence, the organization has stated.
More than a dozen area parents supported Catellani.
"It's getting to the point where you can't walk into a mall or a school," said Sharon Roszkowski of Downers Grove. Her son, Matt, is a junior at Northern Illinois University.
"People with common sense need to become involved in what's happening."