Gun Control: Shooting Victim's Son to Attend State of the Union with Keith Ellison

You can draw a line from the workplace shooting that killed Spring Lake Park resident Keith Basinski last September to President Obama's State of the Union speech Tuesday night.

U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, who represents Fridley and Spring Lake Park in Congress, has invited Sami Rahamim, a St. Louis Park High student and the son of slain Accent Signage owner Reuven Rahamim, to join him for the State of the Union address. Each member of Congress gets to bring one guest to the U.S. House of Representatives gallery during the speech.

Reuven Rahamim, 61, died Sept. 27 when an employee who had just been fired took out a gun and shot Rahamim and others at the company. Andrew Engeldinger then shot himself. Besides Basinksi, who was there on his rounds as a UPS delivery driver, five Accent Signage employees and the gunman died as a result of the shootings that day.

After the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, CT, to join Mayor Michael Bloomberg and others in an effort to end gun violence.

“Sami suffered a tragic lost. Yet he has stepped forward to make a difference in our community and our nation and I will be proud to have him as my guest at the State of the Union,” a news release quoted Ellison. “I hope Sami’s voice and activism will prevent another child from losing a family member to gun violence.”

As co-chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Ellison led a resolution calling for three gun safety provisions:

• “Banning the sale of military-style assault weapons as well as high-capacity magazines or clips that can hold more than 10 bullets at a time;
• “Requiring all gun buyers to pass a criminal background check, no matter how they purchase the weapon; and
• “Supporting the availability and funding of mental health and substance abuse treatment so individuals have sufficient access to these services, as well as enhanced mental health services for children.”