SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) issued the following statement after a gunman shot and killed three people at Mercy Hospital in Chicago:

“I offer my sincerest condolences to the families of those killed, even though no amount of sympathy can bring their loved ones back.

“I especially offer my deepest gratitude to Officer Samuel Jimenez and the other Chicago Police Department officers who heroically responded to the scene and undoubtedly saved lives.

“While it is right to offer kind words and prayers following such a tragedy, these words begin to ring hollow when we find ourselves in a position to speak them on an almost daily basis.

“America is the only industrialized country that faces this level of gun violence. A recent report from the New York Times found one factor that sets us apart: the startling number of guns we sell and own.

“There is no easy, one-size-fits-all solution to our unique problem with gun violence. However, many politicians are so indebted to the NRA that they refuse to even start the conversation. In order to begin to stem the tide of the daily violence that plagues so many communities, we must treat gun violence as the public safety epidemic it truly is rather than accepting it as a fact of life in America.”