Quinn, Kelly seek tighter gun laws after July 4 weekend violence

Days after Chicago marked a violent Fourth of July weekend, Gov. Pat Quinn and U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly reiterated their support for tighter gun laws.

“I’ve seen firsthand the devastation caused by this violence,” Quinn said at a news conference Sunday, a block from where Tonya Gunn, 44, was shot to death last week in the Morgan Park neighborhood.

The latest push comes on the heels of an especially bloody weekend, in which 13 people were killed and at least 58 wounded in shootings across the city.

Quinn and Kelly urged the passage of a bill in the Illinois General Assembly — the Illinois Public Safety Act — that would ban assault weapons; put a limit on high-capacity ammunition; and expand background checks for prospective gun buyers.

“Who has to die and how many have to die until we do something about it?” Kelly said.

Gunn was at her grandfather’s cookout at Throop and 109th Street early July 7 when she was fatally shot in the arm and side.

“She was very respectable,” said Gunn’s mother, Sandra. “I depended on her to help me make decisions and taking me places and doing things. I’m going to miss her.”

Gunn also leaves behind her 11-year-old daughter, Destiny.

No arrests have been made in connection with the incident, officials said.

Last month, Kelly released a 66-page “Kelly Report on Gun Violence in America,” which calls for background checks on gun sales; technology to track stolen guns; and a way for judges to take away guns from those deemed to be a threat to themselves or others.

Quinn said last week he’s prepared to send Illinois State Police to help combat violence in Chicago if Mayor Rahm Emanuel or Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy need them.

As of 7:45 p.m. Sunday, at least three people had been killed and 24 wounded in weekend violence across the city.