GUN-CONTROL ACTIVIST GWEN CASTEN ‘DIES iN HER SLEEP’ AT 17 — SPECULATION MOUNTS AS TO CAUSE
On the evening of her death, the family had dinner together in their home in Downers Grove, a village 20 miles west of Chicago, and then Gwen went out with friends for a few hours, said her father, Illinois Congressman Sean Casten.
When she returned home she said goodnight to her parents, texted a friend to make sure she got home safely and went to bed, he said. She never woke up.
Casten said the only thing he and his family know about her death is that it was peaceful.
But the question remains: What caused the heart of an apparently healthy 17-year-old to stop beating?
There is speculation that she took her own life, but that runs counter to her recent optimism about turning 18. She said it would be a “big year with lots of milestones,” such as voting for the first time. She was looking forward to starting college at the University of Vermont in the fall and studying environmental science.
A coroner was called to the scene and an autopsy is expected to determine the cause of death.
Gwen was co-director of the Illinois chapter of March For Our Lives, an organization founded by student survivors of the mass shooting at a Parkland Florida high school.
Sean Casten is an Illinois gun-control Democrat who is running for a third term in Congress. He co-sponsored the Assault Weapons Ban, among several other gun-control measures.
An AR-15 automatic rifle was used to slaughter seventeen students and teachers at Marjory Stoneman Douglass High School on February 14, 2018.
The shooter, Nikolas Cruz, was a former student at the school. He was arrested an hour later. He pled guilty to the mass shooting and is being held in Broward County Jail.
March For Our Lives members were in shock over Gwen’s unexpected death.
Gwen appeared recently in a campaign video for her father’s re-election.
🚨 BIG NEWS: Sean just released a new digital ad!!
In Congress, Sean is working to enshrine a woman's right to make her own health care decisions, combat gun violence, & ban Members of Congress from trading stock.
Chip in now to keep these ads running: https://t.co/zwkQBqyN7A pic.twitter.com/SmO3xZgn61
— Team Sean Casten (@VoteCasten) June 2, 2022
Casten has pulled the video and suspended his campaign.
Sadly, it is the places with the strictest gun control laws that have all the problems. The reason is because it sends a very clear message to the criminals that they won’t be met with any resistance, and that is why they choose these places.
Exactly. A ‘gun-free’ zone is an open invitation to a madman with a gun, but if there’s a sign that says ‘This community is armed’ they stay away — a no-brainer as the saying goes.
Yep! I totally agree. 🙂