A new campaign called “Pause to Heal” started today in Illinois to help reduce gun violence. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported that gun violence is up in 2024. This campaign hopes to lower those numbers.
Dr. Sameer Vohra, who is the Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), says that firearm restraining orders (FROs) can greatly reduce gun violence. He explains that FROs save lives by allowing someone in crisis to get help by temporarily taking away their access to a weapon that could be used to harm themselves or others.
The CDC data shows that one of the main causes of suicide in the US is using a firearm. This makes FROs very important to prevent such deaths.
The “Pause to Heal” campaign aims to promote FROs. These orders can temporarily stop people who are seen as a serious threat to themselves or others from having or buying a gun. This can help reduce gun violence incidents.
Christian Haney, who works for Brady, an anti-gun violence group, shared his own sad story. He said that a person with a gun shot his parents. His dad survived, but his mom died. Haney believes that if there had been a law for firearm restraining orders at that time, his mom might still be alive. He says, “Had this tool been in place at the time of our shooting, our family feels pretty strongly that my mom might still be here today.”
The campaign’s goal is to teach people about FROs and how they can help. These orders let family and household members ask for a court order to temporarily stop someone in crisis from buying or having guns. FROs are very effective because they allow people to “hit pause” on a dangerous situation and get the time they need to heal.
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In short, the “Pause to Heal” campaign wants to prevent suicides and other shootings by spreading the word about FROs. By helping families take action when someone is in crisis, the campaign aims to save lives and reduce gun violence in Illinois.
