Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times file
After a weekend in which gunfire killed 12 people and injured 42 in Chicago alone, the Legislature really ought to do something. Shootings in the city are up by 36% over a year ago.
Illinois can’t stop all the crime guns that flow into the state, but it can keep some firearms out of the hands of the criminals who take so many lives and hurt so many. Legislation known as the Block Illegal Ownership bill would close some of the loopholes. In 2020, it passed in the Illinois House, but the Senate failed to act on it during the pandemic.
FedEx shooting builds pressure for smarter gun laws | Editorial suntimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from suntimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Brian Rich/Sun-Times file
SPRINGFIELD Dueling gun control bills are heading for a showdown on the floor of the state Legislature.
One would require potential gun owners to be fingerprinted to obtain a Firearm Owner Identification Card, entail more frequent renewal of the card and mandate background checks for the private sale of firearms.
The other bill is designed to lessen the strain on gun owners and the Illinois State Police by automatically renewing and digitizing FOID cards in Illinois. It has the backing of the police agency, which issues the cards and handles background checks for gun purchases.
Both bills seek to reform and improve the FOID card, which Illinois residents must have to legally own firearms or ammunition. But each side accuses the other of missing the target.
The ISRA is neutral on a gun bill?
If you are paying dues to this outfit, you’re a sucker.
Director Kelly: =We don’t do negotiate. That’s what these these folks do. And I’ll leave it in their capable hands. We will talk to anybody on any issue, whatever the perspective is, as it relates to information from the police=
I actually like this statement. It suggests Director Kelly is knowledgeable of both bills, and knows that the Legislature will do what the Legislature will do. The Director seems to be rising above politics by providing perspective on both bills, rather than playing politics. Am I reading this correctly?
For too long, threats of physical harm have been used to intimidate lawmakers trying to do something about America’s nightmare of gun violence. The Jan. 6 insurrection will only embolden those who make such threats.