Seven dead in Illinois mass shooting

The MoJo Daily newsletter, Monday through Friday. [View in browser]( [Mother Jones Daily Newsletter](     July 5, 2022 I think you had to be from Massachusetts, or at least New England, to understand why the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing so deeply shocked the community. The marathon takes place on Patriots' Day, a holiday commemorating a series of Revolutionary War battles. The Red Sox play a home game. School is closed, and a lot of people get the day off work. Everyone stakes out a spot along the marathon route to cheer the runners on. To be injured or die on such a joyous day was hard to imagine. Over the last [seven weeks](, we have endured the massacre of Black grocery shoppers in Buffalo, New York, and the slaughter of elementary school kids in Uvalde, Texas. And then, on Independence Day—a day when many of us were grappling with fraught emotions about the United States, struggling to reconcile whatever remained of our patriotism with the knowledge that our rights are being shredded by [unelected judges](—a shooter opened fire on a parade in Highland Park, Illinois, near Chicago. [Seven people]( thus far have died. Already, Republicans are looking to pin the blame on anything other than guns. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene wants an "[honest conversation](" about antidepressants. (They don't make people commit mass murder. Nice try, though.) And it took only a few hours after the shooting for Republican Illinois gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey to say, "[Let’s move on]( and celebrate the independence of this nation." (He has since [apologized](.) A little more than a week after President Biden signed into law an [anemic gun safety bill](—because Senate filibuster rules have rendered Democrats' control of both chambers of Congress useless—it can be hard to hold onto hope that things will change. I try to remind myself that I am living through one little blip in history's timeline. I try to imagine a future in which the principles laid forth in the Preamble of the Constitution are brought to fruition: a more perfect union, justice, domestic tranquility, common defense, general welfare, the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity. Why has that become so hard to imagine, too? —Abigail Weinberg P.S. If you, like me, are craving some joy in your life, here's [this video]( of Julia Louis-Dreyfus swearing in front of Elmo on Sesame Street. Advertisement [Netroots Nation]( [Top Story] [Top Story]( [A Guide to Mass Shootings in America]( There have been at least 132 in the past four decades—and most of the killers got their guns legally. BY MARK FOLLMAN, GAVIN ARONSEN, AND DEANNA PAN SPONSORED POST     [Sponsored Content]( [An Activist-Athlete Elevates the Game, Rallying for Self-Care and Protesting Banks’ Conduct]( Kyle Thiermann's journey from surfer to activist THIS CONTENT WAS PAID FOR AND SPONSORED BY [MUD\WTR](. [Trending] [When abortion was illegal, adoption was a cruel industry. Are we returning to those days?]( BY PEMA LEVY   [Liz Cheney hints she might run against Donald Trump in 2024]( BY ISABELA DIAS   [Richmond Police finally admit to tear-gassing peaceful protest, hope no one notices.]( BY TIM MURPHY   [It's not 2016]( BY JACOB ROSENBERG Advertisement [Netroots Nation]( [Special Feature] [Special Feature]( [I’m an Abortion Provider in Texas and I’m Now Forced to Consider: Is This "Life-Threatening Enough"?]( Dr. Ghazaleh Moayedi explains, in her own words, the gut-wrenching and increasingly dangerous dance around harsh abortion restrictions. BY DR. GHAZALEH MOAYEDI, AS TOLD TO BECCA ANDREWS [Fiercely Independent] Support from readers allows Mother Jones to do journalism that doesn't just follow the pack. [Donate]( Did you enjoy this newsletter? Help us out by [forwarding]( it to a friend or sharing it on [Facebook]( and [Twitter](. [Mother Jones]( [Donate]( [Subscribe]( This message was sent to {EMAIL}. To change the messages you receive from us, you can [edit your email preferences]( or [unsubscribe from all mailings.]( For advertising opportunities see our online [media kit.]( Were you forwarded this email? [Sign up for Mother Jones' newsletters today.]( [www.MotherJones.com]( PO Box 8539, Big Sandy, TX 75755