The Education Justice Project at the University held an event on gun violence Wednesday, featuring guest speaker Nicole Anderson Cobb, outreach coordinator for the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence.

The EJP, a unit within the College of Education, holds monthly forums to discuss issues related to violence and criminal justice. Rebecca Ginsburg, EJP director and University professor, said gun violence was a prominent issue to discuss in one of these forums.

“We actually organized this before (the) Sandy Hook (Elementary School shooting),” Ginsburg said. “It was just an awful coincidence, and after Sandy Hook, it’s even more important. … This is a problem that’s not going away, (and) it’s a problem that needs urgent, urgent attention.”

While Cobb said she supports President Barack Obama’s gun control proposal, which was introduced Jan. 16, she said she thinks the public cannot wait for legislative action. The proposal calls for increased background checks on those purchasing firearms, a limited size of gun magazines and limits on semiautomatic gun sales. 

At the forum, Cobb discussed why action is needed at universities to prevent school shootings.

The U.S. Senate briefly discussed the gun control proposal at their session Tuesday. 

According to a Senate press release, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid reminded senators to avoid being partison in order to reach a consensus on gun control. 

“Those principles will be foremost in our minds as we balance the right to bear arms with the right of every child to grow up safe from gun violence,” Reid said on the Senate floor. “But not a single piece of important legislation can pass the Senate or become law without the votes of both Democrats and Republicans. So we will also be willing to compromise and to work with our colleagues across the aisle.”

Illinois Sens. Dick Durbin and Mark Kirk have not yet established a position on the issue.

Since Jan. 1, seven shootings have taken place in Champaign close to the University campus. However, University police officers do not want to comment on the national proposal because of its highly political nature.

“In regards to any pending (or) proposed federal or state legislation, we pause on commenting,” University police Chief Jeff Christensen said. “If (or) when things become statutory, we will be happy to comment in regards to our role enforcing the laws.”

However, Gov. Pat Quinn expressed his approval of the proposal in a Jan. 16 press release.

“I stand with President Obama in calling on Congress to adopt strong policies that will reduce gun violence,” Quinn said. “We must act now to protect the children and people of America.”

Chrissy can be reached at [email protected]. Emma Weissmann contributed to this report.