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June 21, 2005 - How to Shoot Your Neighbors in the Back |
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Monday, 05 September 2005 |
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Relax, I am being figurative. But excuse me if I seem overly harsh. Let's start by backing up a bit.
July 1 - The Illinois State Rifle Association issues a press release congratulating itself on the movement by the state government of some of the bills it supported. Among those was SB57, which did not become law, but did pass the House. It was a bill to close the dreaded ' GUN SHOW LOOPHOLE'. And yes, the ISRA ( a state affiliate of the NRA ) was vocally in support of this bill.
Now I am a bit confused. Hasn't the NRA spent years explaining that there is no 'gun show loophole'? Don't our paid lobbyists realize these sorts of actions will have national ramifications? I know Illinois is a different kind of place. And politics is a different kind of game. My frankness should correctly lead you to believe I am not very good at it. But, this is ridiculous.
July 19 - The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence issues a press release with the following included:
-- This year the NRA and the Illinois Rifle Association (ISRA), an NRA state affiliate, supported SB 57, a bill that would have closed the gun show loophole, which the NRA has said does not exist. In a press release issued May 19, Richard Pearson, the executive director of the state group, said that requiring background checks for all firearm sales at gun shows would "make it much more difficult for terrorists, gang bangers and drug lords to acquire weapons by exploiting loopholes in current law." How can the NRA reconcile its support for SB 57 in Illinois with its opposition to the proposal by Senators John McCain and Jack Reed for a federal requirement for background checks on all firearm sales at gun shows? And based on Pearson's comments, does the NRA now acknowledge that the absence of a requirement for background checks on all firearm sales at guns makes it easier for criminals to get guns?
Well there it is. Your attempt to moderate a very bad bill into a less bad bill just made things much worse for the rest of us. We will be seeing those words of yours repeated for years to come.
Would somebody from Illinois please respond in the Illinois Forum what is going on. Maybe you can convince me that this was a good move, but it is highly doubtful. The US Constitution covers much more than Chicago.
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