Durbin, Preckwinkle push for gun control on 'National Gun Violence Awareness Day'

CHICAGO - On this National Gun Violence Awareness Day, the calls for gun control are growing louder.

Gathering outside of Stroger Hospital Friday, Senator Dick Durbin and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle discussed the importance of regulating AR-15 rifles and similar high-powered firearms.

Chicago police recently said more than 400 assault weapons have been taken off city streets by officers so far this year.

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One doctor spoke about the injuries high-powered weapons cause.

"These bullets explode bone, shred organs, so there is nothing left to repair. They create shockwaves that destroy the body. They kill, which is the only purpose of these weapons of war," he said.

"This gun violence has become so common that it defines our country. It's time for us to say ‘enough' — as Americans, as voters, as people who really care for one another," Durbin said.

Senator Durbin says the gun violence in Chicago is so comparable to that of a warzone, that military surgeons actually train with Stroger doctors on how to care for victims in the battlefield.