Handgun legislation resurfaces
By Jill Blackman, Tribune Staff Writer
Conceding that the gun-control issue will play a crucial role in the November election, Illinois politicians today re-emphasized their support for handgun legislation that failed to pass the state House in March.
Mayor Richard Daley said the bill, which will be called for a vote during the fall session, would apply the same licensing procedures to gun shop owners that already apply to other businesses in the state, including landscape architects, tanning-facility operators and barbers.
The bill also seeks to limit purchases to one handgun per person a month, Daley said.
"We're just asking for common-sense legislation," Daley said at a news conference at the James R. Thompson Center.
Daley, who was accompanied by more than a dozen Democratic state lawmakers, said he is calling attention to the bill because he wants Illinois voters to consider how candidates for the General Assembly stand on the issue.
Some legislators from the suburbs voted against last year's measure, even though their constituents are in favor of what Daley called reasonable handgun regulation.
Last year, the licensing proposal and purchase limits were offered in two separate bills: The licensing legislation failed by eight votes; the one-handgun-a-month bill missed passage by 10 votes.
"Illegal handguns are not just a problem for the city," Daley said. "They are becoming an increasingly serious problem in the suburban communities."
House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) said he strongly supports the proposed legislation. "The current federal legislation is just not doing the job."
Daley also said the city will appeal, within the next three weeks, Cook County Circuit Court Judge Stephen Schiller's ruling to throw out the city's $433 million lawsuit against gun makers, distributors and dealers seeking to hold them accountable for gun violence.
By Jill Blackman, Tribune Staff Writer
Conceding that the gun-control issue will play a crucial role in the November election, Illinois politicians today re-emphasized their support for handgun legislation that failed to pass the state House in March.
Mayor Richard Daley said the bill, which will be called for a vote during the fall session, would apply the same licensing procedures to gun shop owners that already apply to other businesses in the state, including landscape architects, tanning-facility operators and barbers.
The bill also seeks to limit purchases to one handgun per person a month, Daley said.
"We're just asking for common-sense legislation," Daley said at a news conference at the James R. Thompson Center.
Daley, who was accompanied by more than a dozen Democratic state lawmakers, said he is calling attention to the bill because he wants Illinois voters to consider how candidates for the General Assembly stand on the issue.
Some legislators from the suburbs voted against last year's measure, even though their constituents are in favor of what Daley called reasonable handgun regulation.
Last year, the licensing proposal and purchase limits were offered in two separate bills: The licensing legislation failed by eight votes; the one-handgun-a-month bill missed passage by 10 votes.
"Illegal handguns are not just a problem for the city," Daley said. "They are becoming an increasingly serious problem in the suburban communities."
House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) said he strongly supports the proposed legislation. "The current federal legislation is just not doing the job."
Daley also said the city will appeal, within the next three weeks, Cook County Circuit Court Judge Stephen Schiller's ruling to throw out the city's $433 million lawsuit against gun makers, distributors and dealers seeking to hold them accountable for gun violence.