Chicago Sun-Times

IN CHICAGO, 79 DEAD OF GUNS THIS YEAR . . . WHEN WILL POLITICIAN­S SAY # ENOUGH?

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The first was Janusz Kolodziejc­zyk, 51, shot and killed while driving in Avondale in the early hours of New Year’s Day.

The most recent was Jason Rodriguez, 27, who died this past weekend after being wounded in a shooting in Humboldt Park.

In between were dozens of others. Jamaal Brown, 35, was gunned down as he stood on the street in Austin. Horacio Galvan- Hernandez, 46, was at work on the Northwest Side when he was shot during a robbery. Beatrice Jones, 56, was killed in an ap- parent domestic incident in Gresham. Thomas Hernandez, 28, of Orland Park, was shot while driving in West Elsdon on the Southwest Side.

So far, 79 people have been killed by gun violence so far this year in Chicago. All their names are listed below.

They might still be alive if politician­s had shown more political courage on gun control. Time and again, too many of those politician­s, including Gov. Bruce Rauner, have shown they do not. Rauner proved that with his veto of a gun dealer licensing bill that had broad support.

Other politician­s prove it every time they take the National Rifle Associatio­n’s blood money. Here in Illinois, the seven congressme­n, all Republican­s, who accept NRA money are Peter Roskam, Randy Hultgren, Adam Kinzinger, John Shimkus, Rodney Davis, Mike Bost and Darin LaHood.

Again on Wednesday, to their credit, a bipartisan group of state senators approved a bill, a reworking of a House measure, to ban the sale of assault weapons to anybody under age 21. The bill now returns to the House. But if Rauner’s actions of this week are any indication, this reform will die, too.

In stark contrast are the thousands of high school students, from big cities and suburbs and small towns across the country, who walked out of school yesterday in memory of the Parkland school shooting victims and to demand sensible gun control. The organizers have promised more protests.

One of their social media hashtags is # enough. If adults follow their lead, maybe, just maybe, it will be.

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