Crain’s Chicago: Local activist takes her fight for an assault weapons ban to the national stage

This week marks the 10th anniversary of the deadly Sandy Hook shooting that killed 20 children and 6 adults and, with new assault weapons bans being considered at both the federal and Illinois level, one local activist is pressing for meaningful results.

After the Highland Park parade shooting, Winnetka's Kitty Brandtner turned angst into action, leveraging a groundswell of social media support to launch March Fourth, an organization focused on bringing back the federal assault weapons ban that lapsed in 2004.

"All my friends in Highland Park were running from an active shooter with their children, running for their lives, and I felt helpless," Brandtner told Crain's. "I asked why are we tolerating this? We're the only country with this problem."

The current Senate bill, S.736, passed the House at the end of July but expires at the end of the year with congressional turnover. It needs 60 votes to pass and has the support of President Joe Biden.

While both Illinois senators, Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin, already are co-sponsors, two new ones, Michael Bennet, D-Colo., and Gary Peters, D-Mich., are helping further the cause, Brandtner says: "We have time and we have momentum.”

While focused on the federal bill, Brandtner is “grateful” for the Illinois efforts “because we have to divide and conquer with all of the work needed to do,” she says. But she’s “hopeful” a federal ban would make Illinois’ bill “a moot point.”

“There are so many different groups doing a lot of great work. Our goal since we were founded is a federal ban,” Brandtner adds. “Ultimately, we need a federal ban in order to get any movement in this country towards safe, schools, parades and concerts.”

If the Senate doesn’t pass the ban before it expires, she vows to press on. “This is a bipartisan issue. I don’t care who has the Senate or House,” she says. “It doesn’t matter if you’re red, blue or green. It’s time, and we’re not going to stop until it passes.”