LAWMAKERS TO CONSIDER FEDERAL SELF-DEFENSE HANDGUN BILL
BY CALEB HALE
THE SOUTHERN
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS -- Some federal legislators are working to catch up to what is already law in Illinois, a bill designed to make handgun use in self defense legally permissible.
Despite Gov. Rod Blagojevich's veto, Rep. John Bradley, D-Marion, received the self-defense handgun law he pushed for last year, when the general assembly overrode the veto in November. The bill effectively allowed a person to fire a handgun in self defense inside his or her home, without being prosecuted.
Now, lawmakers in Washington will likely discuss a bill recently introduced by Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, R-Maryland, asking for the same type of provision to people who use a handgun for protection inside their homes.
HR 47 is the latest version of a bill Bartlett has been trying to push through Congress for several years. Local gun enthusiasts say that bill has faced the same types of obstacles Bradley's bill did in Illinois.
Illinois State Rifle Association southern region representative Larry Morris said typically opposition swirls around a rural versus urban battle. As is the case in Illinois, cities often regard guns in a different manner than people in rural regions.
Morris said city officials contend with the problem of gang violence and consider guns a root cause of the problem. In rural parts of the country, such as Southern Illinois, guns are more of a tool for sport and hunting. However, Morris said, there is the notable exception that guns are seen as a measure of defense if necessary.
"What the deal is in some of these cities, they take away the best tool of self defense, and that happens to be a gun," Morris said. "There are people walking up and down the streets today with guns, and they are part of the criminal element. They don't care what the law says."
Bradley said it was surprising to get his version of a self-defense handgun bill passed.
"It was such a fight, it's hard to believe we got it done," he said.
Southern Illinois legislators have historically supported what they say are Second Amendment rights to own guns for self protection. Each legislator supported Bradley's bill in the general assembly, and most have voiced opposition to legislation imposing restrictions on gun rights to individuals.
Chicago Mayor Richard Daley recently announced he wants legislators to consider two new bills, one holding gun dealers accountable for the sale of weapons to known criminals, the other making dealers liable for lawsuits from those injured by guns.
Bradley said he has been in contact with the Illinois State Rifle Association on the matter but has yet to hear anything else, past Daley's announcement.
As for the proposed federal legislation to protect handgun rights, Bradley said it would help solidify what has already been done in the state.
"They need to follow Illinois' lead and pass it," Bradley said.
caleb.hale@thesouthern.com 618-529-5454 x15090
