Violence Prevention Groups Slam Trump’s National Guard Threat, Urge Federal Gun Reform Instead (Chicago, IL) – Several of the nation’s most prominent gun violence prevention organizations are condemning President Donald Trump’s threat to deploy the National Guard to Chicago, calling it a dangerous distraction from the federal government’s failure to address the flow of illegal guns fueling violence in the city.
The Gun Violence Prevention PAC (G-PAC) of Illinois joined with GIFFORDS, Brady, and March For Our Lives on Thursday to demand federal action on gun safety, including reversing Trump-era rollbacks and restoring funding for community-based programs.
“Chicago’s gun violence problem is directly related to the availability of illegal guns on our streets,” said Kathleen Sances, president and CEO of G-PAC. “Illinois has made significant progress in passing common-sense gun laws, and those reforms have helped bring Chicago crime down to historic lows. But without meaningful reform at the federal level, guns will continue to cross into our state and violence will persist.”
Sances pointed to data showing Chicago recently recorded its fewest summer murders in six decades, crediting state-level reforms supported by the coalition. But she warned that gains are being undermined by lax federal policies and neighboring states with weaker gun laws.
Gladis Merino, political director for GIFFORDS, said the problem extends far beyond Chicago. “States that provide easy access to guns are exporting crime to places like Chicago,” Merino said. “When one state makes it easy for dangerous people to buy guns, those guns don’t stay there. Gun traffickers flock to them and innocent people are dying because of it.”
For some, the stakes are deeply personal. “Gun violence has devastated our Chicago communities, and it’s what took the lives of two of my children,” said Delphine Cherry, Brady’s Illinois state lead. “But deploying the National Guard into Chicago would only worsen this crisis. Trump should empower federal law enforcement to crack down on traffickers instead of denigrating our city.”
Jackie Corin, executive director of March For Our Lives, framed Trump’s threat as a political ploy. “President Trump’s threat to militarize Chicago’s streets with the National Guard is a dangerous distraction,” Corin said. “While our children dodge bullets in classrooms and churches, Trump is threatening to deploy soldiers instead of funding proven solutions like community violence intervention programs and common-sense gun safety legislation.”
The organizations outlined a series of federal measures they say would make communities safer, including:
- Restoring the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention.
- Reinstating funding for community violence intervention programs and federal gun research.
- Expanding background checks to all gun sales.
- Banning assault-style weapons and machine gun conversion devices.
- Reversing the diversion of ATF agents to immigration enforcement.
The coalition credited Illinois with serving as a model for progress, but said federal inaction continues to undercut local efforts.
“If the White House wants to get serious about violence,” Sances said, “it can start by supporting gun safety efforts instead of the gun lobby.”
Violence Prevention Groups Slam Trump’s National Guard Threat, Urge Federal Gun Reform Instead
