The owner of a pawn shop on Chicago's Northwest side reportedly used his gun in self defense against three robbers.
Police say that that three robbers entered the pawn shop, located on the 5900 block of West Fullerton Avenue, just before 1 PM. After being placed in fear for life by the robbers, the pawn shop owner is said to have fired in self defense, striking one of the robbers and sending his accomplices fleeing. A dead suspect was found near the crime scene, and police are seeking the two other suspects, according to news reports. No injuries to the pawn shop owner or any bystanders were reported.
This is the third self defense shooting to occur in Chicago during the last couple of weeks. In the first self defense shooting, an 80 year old Chicago homeowner used his handgun to stop a convicted felon who broke in during the ealy morning hours. In the second self defense shooting, another Chicago homeowner used his handgun to stop a fugitive who dove through his front window while running from the police.
June 3, 2010 9:38 AM | 51 Comments | UPDATED STORY
A South Austin resident shot and wounded a man who crashed through the window of his home while fleeing police early this morning, officials say.
The resident had a valid Firearm Owner's Identification Card and police are not pursuing charges against him despite the city's ban on handguns, police said.
It's the second time in little more than a week that police have chosen not to file charges against someone who shot an intruder. On May 26, an 80-year-old East Garfield Park homeowner shot and killed a suspected burglar.
In today's incident, Aaron Marshall was pulled over by police for a traffic violation in the 300 block of North Pine Street in the South Austin neighborhood on the West Side shortly after midnight, according to Police News Affairs Officer Laura Kubiak.
Marshall, a convicted felon, jumped out of his car and led officers on a foot chase as he dropped a large quantity of narcotics, Kubiak said.
Marshall crashed through the front window of a home on the 300 block of North Long Avenue, Kubiak said. When police showed up at the home, they found the man shot in the chest, apparently with a revolver, Kubiak said.
The residents told police they heard glass breaking and saw a man inside their home, Kubiak said. One resident told police he feared for his safety and shot the man, Kubiak said.
Marshall was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where his condition had stabilized. He was expected to survive, officials said.
Marshall, of the 5400 block of West Monroe Street, has been charged with criminal trespass and drug possession, Kubiak said. He also was ticketed for failure to heed a stop sign and for driving on a revoked license.
Marshall's criminal background includes a felony drug conviction in 2009 and a 2007 conviction for felony aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, court records show. He also is a gang member with a lengthy arrest record, police said.
-- Carlos Sadovi
Posted by ShaunKranish on Thursday, June 03, 2010 @ 10:46:08 EDT (157 reads)
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BY ALAN GOTTLIEB AND DAVE WORKMAN
Mayor Daley doesn't get it about firearms and personal safety. After the highly publicized self-defense shooting in East Garfield Park on the West Side on Wednesday, he should fold his tent, shut his mouth and go away.
The U.S. Supreme Court appears poised to nullify Chicago's draconian handgun ban, and nothing clarifies Daley's dilemma with guns more dramatically than the slaying of home invader Anthony "Big Ant" Nelson, a 29-year-old career thug who has, according to the Chicago Tribune, a "13-page rap sheet that includes a number of drug and weapons convictions dating to 1998, according to police and court records." This neighborhood predator made what nationally recognized self-defense expert Massad Ayoob calls "a fatal error in the victim selection process."
Nelson reportedly fired a shot from a handgun -- you know, they're banned in Chicago, and convicted felons like "Big Ant" aren't supposed to have them anyway; yet another failure of gun control -- through the bedroom window of an 80-year-old Army veteran who served in the Korean War.
Most likely to Nelson's great, and terminal, surprise, the older man fired back, with his own handgun that almost certainly was not registered in the city. Had he followed the law, this gentleman, his wife, and possibly their 12-year-old grandson, who was in the next room, might all be dead right now.
Fortunately, thanks to the Illinois Legislature's override of Rod Blagojevich's veto of SB 2165 in November 2004, the older gentleman will not face prosecution. That was the "Hale DeMar" act, which protects homeowners who shoot in self-defense even if there is a local ordinance against handgun possession.
DeMar shot a burglar in his Wilmette home and was initially charged with violating that community's handgun ban, but public outrage forced the Cook County prosecutor to drop the charge.
The question remains in this case whether the old gentleman will get his gun back from the police when the investigation is completed.
Daley wants his citizens, including elderly people, to remain disarmed while only someone living in monumental denial would believe that creeps like Nelson might be deterred from packing guns illegally.
Daley has practiced anti-gun demagoguery for years, but that may soon come to a screeching halt, not only because of an affirmative high court ruling in the case of McDonald vs. City of Chicago -- the Second Amendment Foundation's case before the U.S. Supreme Court -- but also because public reaction to the Nelson shooting is decidedly in support of the man who shot him.
Chicago residents have grown weary of living in dangerous neighborhoods where, because of Daley's anti-gun policies that defend the city's ban, they have been stripped of the tools to fight back. It is their plight against armed criminals like Nelson that compelled the Second Amendment Foundation to join with the Illinois State Rifle Association and four Chicago residents to sue the city.
Reaction among Chicago residents to Wednesday's fatal shooting clearly demonstrates that the public supports this lawsuit.
While Daley appears at a press event and suggests he might like to poke a gun barrel into the rump of a reporter and fire a round, neighbors of the Army veteran who killed Nelson in self-defense, along with Chicago Sun-Times columnist Stella Foster, are telling the mayor that he needs to "come up with a better solution [to crime] than just saying 'turn in your guns.' "
Daley's stubborn defense of his city's handgun ban shows him to be so out of touch with the public, and with the reality of his city's crime problem, that he may not even be jolted to good sense by a Supreme Court loss.
Well, here is the reality: Richard Daley's policies are directly responsible for people like Nelson, because the Chicago gun ban has emboldened Windy City thugs to prey on good people they know will be disarmed. Tough luck for Nelson that one courageous older man -- a man who had been robbed at gunpoint last year in his own home for $150 -- had the fortitude and good sense to arm himself in spite of Daley's ban, and now his neighborhood is "one short" of the kind of scum that the Chicago ban has essentially protected for more than a quarter-century.
Alan Gottlieb is executive vice president of the Second Amendment Foundation. Dave Workman is senior editor of Gun Week. They are co-authors of 'America Fights Back: Armed Self-Defense in a Violent Age.'
Posted by ShaunKranish on Wednesday, June 02, 2010 @ 12:04:41 EDT (205 reads)
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Daley won't say if 80-year-old will be charged under gun ban
May 27, 2010 3:12 PM | 64 Comments | UPDATED STORY
Mayor Richard Daley refused to say today whether an 80-year-old Army veteran who shot and killed an intruder will be charged under the city's handgun ban.
Asked about the possibility of charges, the mayor ended a news conference he had called about summer curfew in the city.
"I don't know. Thank you very much," Daley said and stepped away from the microphone.
Before walking away, Daley acknowledged people's frustration over the issue of gun control but insisted "I don't think the answer is guns."
The homeowner was asleep with his 83-year-old wife and 12-year-old great-grandson when Anthony Nelson -- a parolee with a record of drug and gun arrests -- tried breaking into their East Garfield Park home, police say.
Nelson died from a gunshot wound to the chest, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office, which said Nelson died in a homicide--the death of a person at the hands of another person.
The homeowner told investigators that Nelson fired twice before he fired back. The homeowner had bought the gun after being robbed in his home last fall, according to relatives. Police questioned the man for several hours and released him without filing charges, though officials say the investigation is continuing.
The Cook County state's attorney's office has said it has not been contacted regarding pressing charges against the homeowner, but police would be able to charge the homeowner with a misdemeanor crime--such as a violation of city ordinance--without approval from the state's attorney's office.
The man has been hailed as a hero by his family and neighbors, but Daley cautioned that "guns is not the answer to the problems that we see in a home, in the streets of America. It's as simple as that.
"I think everybody understands the frustration that people have in regards to guns, and that's an instance, and I think we understand that," Daley said. "But again, the access to guns in America, the access today is higher today than at any period of time in America."
Police today would say nothing more than that two guns were found at the scene of the home invasion, and that the homeowner has not been charged, but that the investigation is continuing.
-- John Byrne, Liam Ford
Posted by ShaunKranish on Wednesday, June 02, 2010 @ 11:49:08 EDT (162 reads)
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Chicago: At least 22 shot in separate shootings, 1 dead
At least 22 shot in separate shootings, 1 dead
May 30, 2010 2:09 PM | 129 Comments | UPDATED STORY
At least 22 people were wounded in separate shootings around the city roughly between noon Saturday and noon Sunday, including a man who died this morning after he was shot in the head, Chicago police said.
At a news conference this morning, Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis said that nearly half of the shootings appear to be gang-related, including the fatal incident. Weis added that at least two of the other victims have refused to cooperate with police, "which makes the job of our detectives ... far more difficult."
One of the shootings was particularly disturbing because one of the female victims was eight months pregnant, the superintendent said. No one in custody for any of the incidents.
The most recent incident happened in the 8000 block of South St. Lawrence Avenue just after noon today, Chicago Police Officer Laura Kubiak said. A man at the location was shot in the hand.
Four people were shot about 3:15 a.m. today in the 9100 block of South Marshfield Avenue, police said. The victims -- two women, ages 32 and 30, and two men, ages 40 and 41 -- were sitting in a vehicle when a dark four-door sedan approached, a man got out and opened fire. The older woman and the younger man were taken to local hospitals in serious conditions, police said. The other victims suffered only minor injuries.
About 2 a.m. in the 10800 block of South Racine Avenue, two people were shot while they sat in a parked vehicle, police said. One victim, a 43-year-old man, was shot in the chest and taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center where he was listed in critical condition. The other victim, 22, was shot in the shoulder and was listed in "stable" condition at Roseland Community Hospital. Police said the 22-year-old is gang-affiliated. The men were shot by a passenger of a gold four-door car, police said.
About 12:45 a.m., a 16-year-old boy was shot in the 1500 block of East 67th Street. He was taken in critical condition to Northwestern Memorial Hospital with a gunshot wound to his arm.
About 12:30 a.m., a 28-year-old man was shot in the Roseland neighborhood in the 10500 block of South Corliss Avenue, police said. He was taken to Roseland Community Hospital with a gunshot wound to his right calf and was described as in "stable" condition.
At the same time on the Southeast Side, three more people were shot as they sat on a porch in the 9200 block of South Blackstone Avenue, Kubiak said. One victim, a 25-year-old man, was taken in critical condition to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn. An 18-year-old man was taken in "stable" condition to Advocate Trinity Hospital. Another victim, 27, was treated and released from Trinity with a graze wound to his arm, police said. The 18-year-old and 27-year-old have gang affiliations, Kubiak said.
About 12:28 a.m., a 19-year-old man was shot in the head in the 5100 block of South Laflin Street, police said. A spokesman for the Cook County medical examiner's office identifed the man as Darius Murphy of the 5300 block of South Bishop Street.
On the West Side about 12:15 a.m., two people were shot in the 3900 block of West Gladys Avenue, police said. A 24-year-old man was taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital in "stable" condition with a graze wound to his head. A 19-year-old woman also was taken to the same hospital. She was listed in "stable" condition with a gunshot wound to her neck.
About 8:10 p.m. Saturday in the 2900 block of North Milwaukee Avenue in the Logan Square neighborhood, a 47-year-old man was shot in one arm in what police believe was a drive-by shooting. The victim was taken to Norwegian-American Hospital and was listed in good condition.
Roughly 20 minutes earlier in the Ashburn neighborhood, a man, 19, was wounded in the leg in the 3900 block of West 79th Street outside Bogan Computer Technical High School. He was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn and was listed in critical condition. The victim has gang affiliations and was not being cooperative in the police investigation, Kubiak said.
About 7:30 p.m., a 17-year-old boy was standing on the sidewalk on the 7400 block of South Evans Avenue when he heard shots and felt pain. He was hospitalized with a gunshot wound to the upper right side.
Two people were shot about 6:45 p.m. in the 8400 block of South Muskegon Avenue but both told conflicting stories, said Kubiak.
An 18-year-old gang-affiliated man suffered a graze wound but refused treatment. He said he was walking in the 8400 block of South Escanaba Avenue when a suspect walked up and shot him, police said. The other victim, 19, told a different story. He said he was driving when someone pulled up and began shouting gang slogans and shot into his car, police said. He drove himself to Advocate Trinity Hospital where he was treated and released.
Police could not locate either victims for interviews after the shootings, Kubiak said.
One of the shootings happened about 3 p.m. in the 6200 block of South Cottage Grove Avenue in the Woodlawn neighborhood. A 56-year-old man was standing on the corner when a passing car fired in his direction, police said. He fell to the ground in pain and discovered he was shot in his calf. He was taken to an area hospital and listed in good condition.
Earlier Saturday about 11 a.m., a 25-year-old man was shot on the 5300 block of South Laflin Street. He was wounded in the arm and hospitalized. Police said the Laflin shooting appeared to be gang-related, but witnesses were giving conflicting accounts of the event.
No one is in custody for any of the shootings. Calumet Area, Harrison Area and Wentworth Area detectives are investigating.
-- Deanese Williams-Harris
Posted by ShaunKranish on Wednesday, June 02, 2010 @ 11:47:43 EDT (208 reads)
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More video on 80-yr old hero!!!
Posted by ShaunKranish on Thursday, May 27, 2010 @ 19:10:05 EDT (186 reads)
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Man, 80, 'did what he had to do,' killing home invader
An 80-year-old Army veteran shot and killed an armed man who’d broken in to the two-flat where he and his wife live in East Garfield Park early this morning and fired at him.
He did what his son said “he had to do” after having vowed not to be victimized again following a robbery months earlier.
Neither the man nor his wife was hurt.
He was questioned by police and released without any charges being filed.
The dead man has a history of drug and weapons convictions. Police said they are continuing to investigate.
When he returned home, the man, 80 — who walked with the aid of a walking stick and wore a T-shirt emblazoned with President Obama’s face and name — told a reporter he didn’t want to talk about what had happened.
His 57-year-old son, though, said his father was “sorry that it happened, but it had to be him or us.”
The son said the intruder, armed with a pistol, came in through a rear window and ran up a rear staircase, banging on his locked door before running downstairs and being shot in a confrontation with the older man.
The intruder shot first before the veteran fired back and killed him, the son said and police confirmed.
“Evidently, he missed,” the son said of the intruder. "My father had no choice. It was him or the other guy.
“I heard boom-boom-boom, and there he was by the back door,” said the son, who was upstairs sleeping at the time of the break-in shortly after 5 a.m.
Walking slowly from the police car that brought them home, the couple returned to their home at noon. They slowly climbed the steps to their front door and went inside.
A couple of months ago, the man — a Korean war veteran with three children and six grandkids — had been robbed at gunpoint at his home by three intruders, his son said. The robbers took $150, he said — and his father bought a gun and vowed never to be a victim again.
“If homeowners can’t have guns to defend themselves and their families, there’s going to be more home invasions,” the son said. “My father’s glad he had a weapon. He did what he had to do.”
The son said he recognized the intruder from the neighborhood.
Though police hadn’t publicly identified the dead man, his mother said it was Anthony Nelson, 29, of the 3300 block of West Walnut.
Nelson had a history of drug and weapons convictions and was last released from prison in December, Lenora Nelson said and Illinois Department of Corrections records confirmed. Nelson was free on parole, the records show.
Nelson was studying to be a carpenter, his mother said, and was due to start a job next week clearing out homes.
She said he ate his favorite dinner with her Tuesday night — steak burritos — and that she hadn’t seen him since 9 p.m.
Of the man who shot her son, she said she has “no feelings for him at all.”
Neighbors applauded the elderly man’s actions.
“It’s a good thing they had a gun, or they might be dead,” said Curtis Thompson, who lives next to the couple.
Thompson reflected on the break-in and added, “It could have been us.”
“I’d have done the same thing," said another neighbor, Audrey Williams, who has known the couple for more than 40 years. "They say we've got to give up our guns. But that's crazy."
The break-in happened at 5:22 a.m., according to police, when an armed man entered the home in the 600 block of North Sawyer Avenue on Chicago’s West Side, awakening the homeowner, who shot him.
Neighbors said the elderly couple are longtime residents of the block.
“They’re a nice, loving couple,” another neighbor, Shaquite Johnson, said of the elderly man and woman.
Posted by ShaunKranish on Thursday, May 27, 2010 @ 11:11:05 EDT (201 reads)
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Army Veteran, 80, Kills Would-Be Burglar
The son of an elderly Army veteran who shot and killed a would-be burglar early Wednesday morning says the situation exemplifies why Chicago's law banning guns is flawed.
"That's an open door for people like this suspect to enter people's homes, especially [the] elderly. They can prey on them," said Butch Gant.
Earlier Wednesday, Gant's father, an 80-year-old Korean War veteran, who has not been identified by police, heard sometime trying to break into his East Garfield Park home through a window.
"He hit first floor window," Gant said. "He hit once, then hit it again. Daddy got full view of him and fired. He had the gun by his bedside."
The first shot missed the intruder, but the homeowner shot again and connected, killing Anthony Nelson, a former convict.
Gant's father said he was protecting his 83-year-old wife and their 12-year-old great-grandson, who was asleep in the house. It was the second time in six months someone had tried to break into the home.
Nelson had a criminal record dating back to 1998 that included numerous drug and weapons convictions. He lived about a mile away.
Police questioned the homeowner at the station but escorted him home around noon. No charges will be filed.
Friends and neighbors have pledged support for the octogenarian.
"In my house I would do same thing," said 75-year-old neighbor Audrey Williams.
His family is hailing him as a hero.
"He protected his family and that accounts more than anything," Gant said. "He saved all our lives, the whole family."
Posted by ShaunKranish on Thursday, May 27, 2010 @ 10:43:26 EDT (236 reads)
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Open Carry Event in Loves Park, IL
Anonymous writes:
This past weekend,
Folks of all walks of life got together on private land to openly carry firearms as law abiding citizens.
Pictures are on facebook, under the group Illinois Gun Owners Working Together. (IGOWT)
Posted by ShaunKranish on Monday, May 24, 2010 @ 22:26:25 EDT (212 reads)
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Joe Walsh Opponents try to smear him, but fail!!!
We have endorsed only four candidates in Illinois for the upcoming election in November. These endorsed candidates have proven they are committed to our right to keep and bear arms and its protection under the Second Amendment to the Constitution.
We wanted you to know that one of our candidates who's also a member of ICarry, Mr. Joe Walsh who is running in the 8th US Congressional District in Illinois, appreciates your support very much. Joe is a Founders Club member of ICarry.org - the first candidate in the upcoming election to join ICarry as a member - so you know where he stands on the Second Amendment!!! He wants to represent you in Washington D.C. and it is our belief through our conversations, meetings, and public events with Joe, that he is THE candidate not only for the 8th district, but he's someone our country can be proud.
Joe Walsh, running as a Republican, is a true reformer and "tea party" type candidate. He has not served in office before, he's simply one of the people. He has real problems like everyday people - for example his house is undergoing foreclosure right now. He's always been upfront about his foreclosure and bills, but recently his opponents have been trying to smear him.
That's not going to happen! Joe stands for FREEDOM - that means less government involvement and control over our decisions, less government spending, less paperwork and bureaucracy, and more choices to live our American dream. He's against the bailouts, the taxes, cap and trade, and forced government healthcare socialism. While ICarry.org exists for the purpose of firearms rights, we also stand behind freedom in general.
We believe Joe is the most outspoken and supportive candidate of the Second Amendment out of all candidates running for a federal office in Illinois. Want proof? Not only is he willing to bear the ICarry.org name proudly as a Founders Club member, but ICarry.org is planning the FIRST Open Carry event in Illinois history and we invited Joe and he excitedly said he would be HONORED to be there and speak!!!! He isn't gun shy!! Hell, maybe he'll even be open carrying himself.
His opponent in the 8th district, Democrat Melissa Bean, voted for the bailouts and everything else. She is not a friend of gun owners, but will instead vote with her party lines to restrict gun ownership. She won't go to town hall meetings because she knows everyone is sick and tired of government interference in their life (healthcare, etc). She won't publish her tax return like Joe Walsh has done. She won't answer questions. She'll continue to represent the corporate interests in Washington and throughout the world that are bringing our beloved country to its knees in regards to FREEDOM and prosperity.
When I look at Joe, I don't see a polished politician. I see a regular guy who like me isn't perfect. He's going through a foreclosure, not running to the bank depositing bribes like the corrupt politicians in Washington. Like me, he sincerely cares about his country and about freedom. That's why he's BEATING BEAN IN THE POLLS right now! Every recent poll I've seen shows him ahead.
We're sending this email out because we wanted Joe Walsh to know that we support him because he supports our freedoms. It should have been expected that his opponents would try to smear him, but he hasn't done anything to deserve it other than stand up for his country in a time when just about every politician in Washington needs to go. Melissa Bean is one of those. We hope that in this next election not only Joe Walsh gets in office, but a hundred more like him.
ICarry.org Board of Directors
ALERT: The Republican party leaders want to hear what kind of support Joe Walsh has because of the smear being run by the two disgruntled campaign employees. Please take a quick moment to make two phone calls and let them know that we support Joe Walsh because he believes in freedom!
GOP Chairman Pat Brady: 1-312-201-9000
Lake County GOP Rep. Robert Cook: 1-847-680-6680
Posted by ShaunKranish on Wednesday, May 05, 2010 @ 14:36:51 EDT (302 reads)
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SPRINGFIELD – A House committee on Monday pushed through three pieces of gun legislation, sending them to the full House for consideration.
State Rep. Harry Osterman, D-Chicago, sponsored two of the bills that passed. His first bill – approved on a 7-to-5 vote — amends the Firearm Owners Identification Card Act by prohibiting individuals who lack the proper license to sell or transfer their firearms to another person. The transaction could only be performed through a licensed dealer.
Osterman said the measure would prevent people with criminal records from owning firearms. However, National Rifle Association lobbyist Todd Vandermyde said the bill would just create more work for lawful gun owners.
“It’s more red tape, more hoops for gun owners to jump through,” Vandermyde said. “If we have to go through all this, then why do we even have a FOID card that says I don’t have a criminal conviction on my record?”
However, Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney Thomas Mahoney told committee members that Osterman’s legislation will help Illinois residents who legally purchase their firearms.
“I think if this were passed into law and the state police were to develop the system over the next two years, what it would do would facilitate the lawful transfer of firearms through a federal firearm licensee and it would make it easier for lawful firearms owners to make such a transfer,” Mahoney said.
Osterman’s second bill passed on a 6-to-4 vote, and would require gun owners to have a proper, portable gun carrying case in which to transport their gun.
Osterman said this legislation is “commonsense” for gun owners.
“Strip away the politics to this, these are commonsense approaches that if you ask someone who calls your district office about this, I think it’s very difficult for them to say this is taking away gun owner’s rights,” Osterman said.
Chicago Police Sgt. John Hamilton testified that such a simple requirement could mean the difference between life and death. He said he has witnessed the shooting of several fellow officers because someone did not have their gun in a proper container when transporting it.
“For us, it’s a matter of life and death,” Hamilton said. “It’s not a matter of what side of the aisle you’re on, what side you’re arguing. That doesn’t mean anything in the streets. For us, it’s a matter of life and death. I’ve had friends killed in the line of duty.”
State Rep. Ed Sullivan, R-Mundelein, voted against the bill, saying it would cause confusion because the bill would change Illinois Supreme Court guidelines regarding a proper gun case.
He said judges all over the state would each make different rulings.
“We have a ruling from the Supreme Court in regards to this and now we want to change it so we’re going to be right back where we started from trying to find what is designed for the safe transportation of firearms because it’s too vague,” Sullivan said.
State Rep. Edward Acevedo, D-Chicago sponsored the third gun measure passed by the House committee, on a 6-to-4 vote. The bill would prohibit Illinois gun manufacturers from selling firearms to Illinois residents. The manufacturers could sell their firearms to other states, as well as to Illinois police officers, Acevedo said.
A strong gun opponent, Acevedo said his measure would decrease the number of Illinois residents purchasing firearms.
State Rep. Dan Brady, R-Bloomington, said the bill could hurt Illinois businesses and jobs because they are losing their customers and must rely on other states for business.
Posted by ShaunKranish on Tuesday, May 04, 2010 @ 23:11:55 EDT (276 reads)
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CLASSIC CAR SHOW/FUNDRAISER
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Posted by ShaunKranish on Thursday, April 08, 2010 @ 14:35:01 EDT (348 reads)
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Ban on assault weapons makes its way to Illinois House
SPRINGFIELD -- An Illinois ban on assault weapons gained initial traction on Wednesday.
A House committee dominated by Chicago Democrats approved the measure on a vote of 7-4. It now makes its way to the full House.
The hot button issue has been proposed frequently since a federal ban on semiautomatic weapons expired in 2004. But it has failed to become law in Illinois.
The issue showcased the ideological difference between gun opponents, who are supported by Chicago Democrats, and gun advocates, who are supported by Downstate lawmakers. Some law enforcement members say the weapons are tools for murder, while gun advocates say a ban would impede on their Second Amendment rights.
"They are not designed for sport, they are designed to kill humans quickly and efficiently," said state Rep. Edward Acevedo, D-Chicago, who sponsored the legislation.
Many high-profile shootings have involved assault weapons, including a recent case in Chicago where three teens were killed by an AK47, noted James Jackson, an assistant superintendent at the Chicago Police Department.
"Assault weapons remain a very real problem for law enforcement," Jackson told members of the House Executive Committee.
But gun advocates say the weapons are indeed designed for hunting. They also say that gun manufacturers would be run out of the state because the legislation includes a ban on manufacturing assault weapons.
"Sixty five Illinois manufactures are going to leave the state because they won't be able to service their clients," said Todd Vandermyde, a lobbyist for the National Rifle Association.
State Rep. Joseph Lyons, D-Chicago, raised concerns that the ban wouldn't do enough to keep guns out of the hands of criminals.
"No matter what we try to do, the mutts of the world are going to find ways to get guns," he said.
He, however, voted in favor of the measure.
State Rep. Dan Brady, R-Bloomington, voted against it.
The legislation is House Bill 5751.
Posted by ShaunKranish on Sunday, March 21, 2010 @ 21:45:46 EDT (227 reads)
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ISRA Press Release on HB6123
ChadSpark writes:
Email from the ISRA
Illinois State Rifle Association - Since 1903 - Dedicated to Education,
Safety Training and Support of Illinois Firearm Owners <http://isra.org>
*
Press Release - Bill That Would Effectively Prohibit African Americans
and Hispanics From Buying Guns Advances in the Illinois General Assembly
*
CHICAGO, March 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following was released
today by the Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA):
Law-abiding African Americans and Hispanics would take it on the chin
under a bill now moving through the Illinois General Assembly. Sponsored
by Rep. Harry Osterman (D-14), HB6123
<http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=6123&GAID=10&DocTypeID=HB&LegId=52103&SessionID=76&GA=96>
would prohibit any person or entity from selling a firearm to a
so-called "street gang member." This prohibition applies even if the
individual has passed a Brady Law FBI background check. Making a
prohibited sale would result in Class 1 felony charges and possible jail
time for the seller. Although the ISRA supports genuine efforts to curb
criminal violence, the organization is strongly opposed to HB6123 as the
bill's provisions are arbitrary and pose an unreasonable intrusion on
the rights of law-abiding Illinois citizens.
"HB6123 promotes racial profiling at its worst," commented ISRA
Executive Director, Richard Pearson. "Popular culture has branded urban
minorities with the 'gangsta' stereotype that is pervasive well beyond
the confines of actual criminal enterprises. Today's fashion, music,
slang and lifestyle are all heavily influenced by the urban experience.
Given that the provisions of HB6123 establish no test for determining
'street gang' membership, and given the harsh penalties for violating
the proposed law, it is understandable that retailers would shy away
from selling firearms to persons whose speech, dress, mannerisms, or
taste in music reflect the urban lifestyle."
"Several Chicago nightclubs stirred considerable controversy recently
when they denied entry to young men wearing baggy pants and cornrows in
their hair," continued Pearson. "The nightclub owners justified these
actions by claiming that baggy pants and certain hair styles are
indicative of gang membership -- despite the fact that the young men had
done nothing improper. While the popular press bristled over the
nightclubs' actions, the press has ignored HB6123 although the bill
would bless, and even require firearm retailers to discriminate against
individuals based on their appearance. This sort of cultural profiling
is vile enough when persons are denied entry into a private club, but
denying one's constitutional rights based solely on their appearance
flies in the face of the principles under which our nation was founded.
Of course, if a gang member wished to purchase a firearm, all he would
have to do is don a Brooks Brothers' suit and speak the King's English
and he'd be good to go."
"The bottom line is this," said Pearson. "If HB6123 is passed into law,
the calendar on race-relations will be turned back 70 years and there
will not be a gun shop in the state that will sell a firearm to an
African American or Hispanic person. If that's Rep. Osterman's intent,
then he has a lot of explaining to do."
--
The ISRA is the state's leading advocate of safe, lawful and responsible
firearms ownership. For more than a century, the ISRA has represented
the interests of millions of law-abiding I
Posted by ShaunKranish on Tuesday, March 16, 2010 @ 16:15:06 EDT (269 reads)
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Springfield-area lawmakers share the same opinion about whether the public should be allowed to carry concealed handguns. They approve.
Sen. Larry Bomke, R-Springfield, said he supports concealed carry permits as long as people are properly trained. The senator said he learned to shoot guns as a child but has not hunted in years.
Rep. Raymond Poe, R-Springfield, said he is not a “gun enthusiast,” but thinks the state’s crime rate would drop if people had concealed handguns.
“It’s just one of those freedoms we have as Americans that shouldn’t be against the law,” he said.
Rep. Rich Brauer, R-Petersburg, said Illinois should catch up with other states that already allow concealed carry permits.
“Almost every other state in the union has (them), and they haven’t done away with them,” he said. “That speaks volumes.”
Despite their views, they are not confident that any handgun-related legislation will pass this session.
Bomke said any measures are doomed as long as Chicago-area lawmakers and Chicago Mayor Richard Daley oppose them.
“It’s a chronic issue with the gun owners fighting with Mayor Daley,” he said. “It’s a shame that this hasn’t passed.”
In 2005, Bomke sponsored a bill that would have allowed judges to carry concealed handguns. It failed to get through the Senate. The bill was filed in response to the murders of the mother and husband of Chicago U.S. Judge Joan Lefkow in February 2005.
Posted by ShaunKranish on Monday, March 15, 2010 @ 15:23:48 EDT (172 reads)
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Legally Carry Today in IL and WI
Use these guides to discover how to legally carry a firearm in Illinois and Wisconsin today!
