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"Washington, D.C., made a terrible mistake when it allowed the
federal assault weapons ban to expire," Blagojevich said. "Now
firearms that are better-suited for military combat are making their
way into the hands of gang members and criminals -- and our current
law says those weapons are just as acceptable as hunting rifles.
That has to change." "We've made great progress over the last
several years in reducing the amount of violent crime in our city
and our state," said Mayor Daley. "But if we expect to maintain that
progress, we have to keep the most dangerous weapons off our
streets. Every sane person would agree that machine guns and
grenades should be illegal. Their only purpose is to kill large
numbers of people. The same is true of military-style assault
weapons."
The federal ban on assault weapons was signed by President
Clinton in 1994 but lapsed in September 2004 when Congress decided
not to renew it, despite assurances from President Bush that he
would sign such a renewal.
Assault weapons are extremely dangerous, often used in violent
crimes and are a threat to public safety. These weapons fire bullets
rapidly and can fire at multiple targets. In addition, the
military-style features make these guns even more dangerous. For
example, larger magazines allow a shooter to fire 20, 50 or even 100
rounds without having to reload. Assault weapons have a high level
of firepower, can penetrate body armor and therefore pose a
significant threat to police as well as innocent bystanders.
The .50-caliber rifle is among the most destructive weapons
available to the public. It's capable of hitting a target accurately
from up to 2,000 yards, killing someone from a mile away, or even
bringing down an airplane. The ammunition .50 calibers use is able
to blow through a half-inch-thick piece of steel -- and thus easily
pierce armor that police officers wear.
These are the kind of weapons that have been used in some heinous
crimes, including the Columbine High School shooting in April 1999,
in which 13 people were killed and 23 wounded by weapons that
included a TEC-DC9. In March of 1995, a Chicago policeman was killed
with the same firearm while investigating a routine burglary. A
semiautomatic version of the AK-47 assault rifle was used to kill
five small children, wounding 29 others and a teacher, at an
elementary school in Stockton, Calif.
Since the federal ban was lifted, the Chicago Police Department
has seized 519 assault weapons, 400 in 2005 alone. In fact, just
this past New Year's Eve, the Chicago Police Department recovered 22
weapons, including an AK-47 and MAC-10 with a 30-round clip and
laser sight -- weapons that would be banned statewide if lawmakers
pass a measure.
Last session, a bill sponsored by Rep. Edward Acevedo, D-Chicago,
was narrowly defeated in the Illinois House -- falling just three
votes short of passage. The governor, the city of Chicago and
advocates plan an intense lobbying effort again this year to try to
pass an assault weapons ban.
"Assault weapons endanger our children, families and law
enforcement officials," Acevedo said. "We must do whatever we can to
take them off our streets and cut off criminals' access to these
deadly weapons. I am grateful to Governor Blagojevich and Mayor
Daley for making
House Bill 2414, the assault weapons ban, a priority, and I look
forward to working with them this session to see that this ban
becomes law."
"Even the Republican governor of California realized he needed to
sign into law this ban on .50-caliber assault weapons to protect his
citizens," added Sen. John Cullerton. "The least we could do in
Illinois is keep up with him."
"Governor Blagojevich and Mayor Daley have shown courage on
behalf of gun violence victims in Illinois by standing up to the
extremist agenda of the NRA," said Jennifer Bishop of the Brady
Campaign to Prevent Handgun Violence. "Illinois families do not want
assault weapons on our streets and in our neighborhoods. We are
grateful for their efforts to keep us safe from the threat posed by
weapons with a high-capacity magazine, silencer, automatic trigger
with a pistol grip and the other dangerous features of such
insidious weapons."
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"We are very pleased to see that Governor Blagojevich and Mayor
Daley support a strong, comprehensive prohibition on the future sale
of these weapons of mass destruction," said Thom Mannard, executive
director of the Illinois Coalition Against Handgun Violence. "These
are weapons that are designed for war and pose a tremendous risk to
the safety of our communities and our law enforcement officers.
Seventy-five percent of Illinois citizens support a ban on the sale
of assault weapons and the .50-caliber sniper rifle, and the
Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence and our members look
forward to working with the governor and the mayor to pass this
legislation designed to protect all Illinois residents."
The governor and Chicago mayor hope this legislative session can
build on the successes of last legislative session, which was
extremely productive for improving public safety across the state,
including:
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Last summer, Blagojevich vetoed
Senate Bill 57, Senate Bill 2104 and House Bill 340 -- all bills
backed by the National Rifle Association.
-
Senate Bill 57, if not vetoed,
would have closed the "gun-show loophole" but also required the
destruction the Illinois State Police's vital firearm purchases
records. The records are used by the Illinois State Police to
investigate gun crimes and prepare for raids on possible gun
traffickers. Blagojevich pushed for and helped pass Senate Bill
1333, which cleanly closes the gun-show loophole without
affecting the database.
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If it had not been vetoed, House
Bill 340 would have eliminated the waiting period for gun owners
trading in firearms. This would have allowed an individual to
trade in a hunting rifle or small-caliber handgun for a
military-style assault weapon, without delay.
-
Senate Bill 2104 would have
overridden local laws concerning transporting firearms. The veto
of the bill allows many towns and cities across Illinois,
including Chicago, that have stricter firearm laws to keep their
communities safe by enforcing laws that they deem appropriate.
-
Last summer, the governor signed
Senate Bill 1333, which closed the gun-show loophole by
requiring gun sellers, who are not federally licensed firearms
dealers, to request background checks from the Illinois State
Police before they can sell guns at gun shows. If ISP
determines, after a background check is conducted, that the
buyer is qualified to own a gun, the state police will issue an
approval number that is valid for 30 days, during which time the
sale must take place. Additionally, the seller must retain
records of sales for at least 10 years and make those records
available to law enforcement agencies for criminal
investigations.
-
The governor also signed
House Bill 524,
House Bill 132 and
House Bill 35, which imposed harsher prison sentences for
individuals convicted of a crime using a firearm. The bills
included mandatory prison time for second or subsequent
offenses.
-
The governor also signed
House Bill 348, which requires state police to report the
name and address of anyone who attempts to get a Firearm Owner's
Identification Card, but is denied, to the local law enforcement
agency where the person lives.
-
The governor announced $3.9
million for Operation CeaseFire programs in Illinois in the
coming fiscal year, including seven $250,000 grants for
communities that will receive funding for the first time. Last
year, Blagojevich increased funding for CeaseFire to expand from
five Chicago communities to 15 communities around the state.
-
Last spring, the governor created
an elite police unit on gun trafficking, in order to stop the
flow of crime guns into Illinois. The gun unit works with
federal authorities and law enforcement agencies from Indiana
and Mississippi to detect and capture gunrunners and illegal
dealers. More crime guns flow into Illinois from
Indiana and Mississippi than from any other state.
[News release from the governor's
office]
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