FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 17, 2006


Governor Blagojevich, Mayor Daley renew call for state assault weapons ban
Governor to take strong stand against gun violence in his annual State of the State address


CHICAGO- Continuing the effort to protect Illinoisans from gun violence, Governor Rod R. Blagojevich and Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley today renewed their call to members of the Illinois General Assembly to pass a state assault weapons ban.  On the day before his annual State of the State address, the Governor rallied support with Mayor Daley, legislators and advocates against gun violence, for a bill that would ban the manufacture, possession, and delivery of semiautomatic assault weapons, assault weapon attachments, large capacity ammunition feeding devices and the .50 caliber rifle. More than a year ago, leaders in Washington D.C. allowed the federal assault weapons ban to expire.

“Washington D.C. made a terrible mistake when it allowed the federal Assault Weapons Ban to expire.  Now firearms that are better-suited for military combat are making there 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,” said Governor Blagojevich.

“We’ve made great progress over the last several years in reducing the amount of violent crime in our city and our state.  But if we expect to maintain that progress, we have to keep the most dangerous weapons off our streets,” said Mayor Daley.  “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 5 small children, wounding 29 others and a teacher, at an elementary school in Stockton, California.

Since the federal ban was lifted, the Chicago Police Department has seized 519 assault weapons and 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.  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,” said Rep. Acevedo.

“Even the Republican Governor of California realized he needed to sign into law this ban on .50-caliber assault weapons to protect his citizens. The least we could do in Illinois is keep up with him,” added Sen. John Cullerton.

“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.  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,” said Jennifer Bishop of the Brady Campaign To Prevent Handgun Violence.

“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.  These are weapons that are designed for war and pose a tremendous risk to the safety of our communities and our law enforcement officers,” said Thom Mannard, Executive director of the Illinois Coalition Against Handgun Violence. “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 Mayor Daley 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:


   * Last summer, Governor Blagojevich vetoed Senate Bill 57, Senate Bill 2104, and House Bill 340, all bills backed by the National Rifle Association.
         o 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.  Governor Blagojevich pushed for and helped pass Senate Bill 1333, which cleanly closes the gun-show loophole without impacting the database.  
         o If it had not been vetoed, HB 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.  
         o Senate Bill 2104 would have overridden local laws concerning transporting firearms.  The veto of SB 2104 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 SB 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 (ISP) 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 ten years and make those records available to law enforcement agencies for criminal investigations.  



   * The Governor also signed HB 524, HB 132, and HB 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 HB 348, which requires State Police to report the name and address of a person who attempted to get a Firearm Owner’s Identification Card (FOID card), but was 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, Gov. Blagojevich increased funding for CeaseFire to expand from five Chicago communities to fifteen communities around the state.  


Last spring, the Governor created an elite gun trafficking police unit 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.

Loud mouth.

Automatic trigger?  

Here's a link to the news conference...Mp3 type.

From listening to the news conference, the chicagotites were afraid of voting for the ban at the time as it would leave them open for some NRA back opponent to run against them in the up coming primaries.

Ugh, Blago makes my head hurt.

WIZZO

Man ....Just when you think the bitches can't shock you any more.

The lies so deep and wide.

It reminds me of  the Hitler doctine of  " Big Lie Propaganda". In an effort to discredit jews in the post ww1 Germany. His technique, that has been mirrored by behavior nazi's ever since, was this. If the lie is big enough and you stick to your story reasonable people  will eventualy conclude that "No one would lie about such a thing."

Excerted  from OSS report aboout Hitlers political tactics. Tell me if it reminds you of anyone.

His primary rules were: never allow the public to cool off; never admit a fault or wrong; never concede that there may be some good in your enemy; never leave room for alternatives; never accept blame; concentrate on one enemy at a time and blame him for everything that goes wrong; people will believe a big lie sooner than a little one; and if you repeat it frequently enough people will sooner or later believe it. - OSS

This is going to be hard.

JR

The paralels continue.

It goes on......

Hitler wrote in his 1925 autobiography Mein Kampf (James Murphy translation, page 134):

All this was inspired by the principle - which is quite true in itself - that in the big lie there is always a certain force of credibility; because the broad masses of a nation are always more easily corrupted in the deeper strata of their emotional nature than consciously or voluntarily; and thus in the primitive simplicity of their minds they more readily fall victims to the big lie than the small lie, since they themselves often tell small lies in little matters but would be ashamed to resort to large-scale falsehoods. It would never come into their heads to fabricate colossal untruths, and they would not believe that others could have the impudence to distort the truth so infamously. Even though the facts which prove this to be so may be brought clearly to their minds, they will still doubt and waver and will continue to think that there may be some other explanation. For the grossly impudent lie always leaves traces behind it, even after it has been nailed down, a fact which is known to all expert liars in this world and to all who conspire together in the art of lying. These people know only too well how to use falsehood for the basest purposes.

These people are nazis.

Whats old is new again.

History boys. you gotta love it.

JR

Sadly, gun 'control' s the only thing Blago seems to be consitent on...with everything else he is a blind monkey throwing darts at a board.

The state is over two billion in debt, but he gives a cool million to a chruch to rebuild.  Hello McFly, they have property insurance and the contractor was bonded and insured!

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 5 small children, wounding 29 others and a teacher, at an elementary school in Stockton, California.

Oh, and anyone with half a brain will note that all the examples of the extreme danger of these weapons that need to be banned take place during the federal AWB.

Since the federal ban was lifted, the Chicago Police Department has seized 519 assault weapons and 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.

But Gov. Blaog, if the ban was lifted then how did you confiscate those weapons?  Oh , wait, Chicago has its OWN Assault Weapons Ban?  Hmm.

Doublspeak at its best!

Apparenty only assualt weapons can penatrate a policemans' vest.

Apparently only the deadly .50 can penatrate a half in steel plate.


Thank ja I'm being edumacated by these guys.



efxguy

I never knew we lived in a state with so many violant crimes. Especially violant crimes that involve assault weapons, or even a .50 cal??????????? Oh My. Lions and tigers and bears OH MY!?!?

Blago you must go!!!!!

4X4XSC

Maybe they should take a stand against gun violence, instead of guns.

Illinois Nazis? I hate Illinois Nazis.

Learn from this.

To remain electable they have to blame problems on some one. They have chosen our guns and by default us. We have been chosen because we stand apart and are easily misunderstood targets. Dismissed as whackos and gun nuts ( a term I despise). Walk around a gunshow and tell me we don't make good targets. We look different (some of us smell funny) and can easily be singled out as a group. Pop culture rules and perception is reality.

We are the minority.

Make no mistake. These guys are Illinois Nazis working "The Big lie." They just do it with a pat on the back and membership to Oprah's book club.

I'm sure we all remember what Nazis do to minorities.

"In Germany, they first came for the gypsies, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a gypsy. Then they came for the Bolsheviks, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Bolshevik. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics. I didn't speak up then because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak up." - Martin Niemoller, A Lutheran Pastor arrested by the Gestapo in 1937

Call and write your reps and tell them that you vote the second amendment exclusively.

JR

Quoted: Maybe they should take a stand against gun violence, instead of guns.

They'll never endanger their access to the urban vote by holding thugs accountable.
You can't get the parents to vote for you while you have the sons and cousins in the clink, therefor, they hift the blame to "guns", instead of streetgangs.

CKMorley

My State Rep is one of the two votes that would actually get this passed in the House. he was a NO vote in Spring and the Daily Herald has him quoted as a NO vote now. I placed a call anyway just to remind him it's an election year AND that I had a nice conversation with his Primary opponent on the importance of the Second Amendment in it's enirety.

My Senator is always a staunch supporter of our right to keep and bear arms.

Quoted: My State Rep is one of the two votes that would actually get this passed in the House. he was a NO vote in Spring and the Daily Herald has him quoted as a NO vote now. I placed a call anyway just to remind him it's an election year ..

No sense in not naming names. Who was he? I'll put him on my list too.


JR

Since the federal ban was lifted, the Chicago Police Department has seized 519 assault weapons and 400 in 2005 alone.

Funny, per the Tribune, the CPD seized 17144 in 1989 (3% AW's by actual description, 10% by BATF traces), but only 10,033 guns in 2003.

From Chicago Police Website

Chicago Police seized more than 9,800 guns on 2005

Hmmm... lessee... 4.08% ? Oh my, that's quite a lot.

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.

What about the .380 semi auto and the 12 gauge that were taken at the same time as the "AK-47" from the 700 block of North Springfield?

What about the sawed-off shotgun from the 1700 block of North Monitor?

What about the 9mm from the 8400 block of South Burnham?

What about the .32 cal from the 1500 block of North Mayfield?

What about the .45 and .25 cal semis from the 800 block of North Laramie?

What about the 12 gauge shotgun and the .357 revolver that were seized with the MAC-10?

A total of 22 guns were seized, according to ABC7, including some with defaced S/N's.

Selective reporting, anyone?

Quoted: Since the federal ban was lifted, the Chicago Police Department has seized 519 assault weapons and 400 in 2005 alone. Funny, per the Tribune, the CPD seized 17144 in 1989 (3% AW's by actual description, 10% by BATF traces), but only 10,033 guns in 2003. From Chicago Police Website Chicago Police seized more than 9,800 guns on 2005 Hmmm... lessee... 4.08% ? Oh my, that's quite a lot. 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. What about the .380 semi auto and the 12 gauge that were taken at the same time as the "AK-47" from the 700 block of North Springfield? What about the sawed-off shotgun from the 1700 block of North Monitor? What about the 9mm from the 8400 block of South Burnham? What about the .32 cal from the 1500 block of North Mayfield? What about the .45 and .25 cal semis from the 800 block of North Laramie? What about the 12 gauge shotgun and the .357 revolver that were seized with the MAC-10? A total of 22 guns were seized, according to ABC7, including some with defaced S/N's. Selective reporting, anyone?

Awwwww come on...those are just mere statictics...lets get back to discussing that machine guns and grenades should be illegal.  We also need to discuss assault rifle attachments like.....slings.  Do you realize that a guy could use a sling to carry a gun on his shoulder while hiking the entire length of Michigan Avenue?

All joking aside, this latest attempt by Blagobitch and Galey have pushed me over the edge.  I am pissed.  While they have always spread lies, this time the lies have gotten much worse.  They have perfected the "say it enough times and it is true" routine.

I have 2 very close friends that are Chicago Police Officers.  The stories that they tell me are completely different.  One guy has been on the force 19 years and the other guy has 16 years in.  Most of the time the gangbangers use the cheapest handguns they can get a hold of.  Most of the guns come out of the south coast states.  Between the 2 of my friends, only one has ever seen an "assault rifle" used in a crime, and that was a rusty old AK47 that had the stock and barrel cut off.  More often they get side by side shotguns that have the barrels and stocks cut off.

I have written, emailed and called all the correct people.  What else can we do?  We need to stop this crap now!

I have a great job and live about 4 minutes from work.  I never wanted to give in and move, but that idea is always getting stronger.

Quoted: I have a great job and live about 4 minutes from work.  I never wanted to give in and move, but that idea is always getting stronger.

I hate living here.  Sadly it's going to be a while before I have a degree, which will afford me much more move-a-bility.

Why is Daley concerned about deaths in Chicago anyways....don't the dead vote there anyways?

Quoted: Quoted: My State Rep is one of the two votes that would actually get this passed in the House. he was a NO vote in Spring and the Daily Herald has him quoted as a NO vote now. I placed a call anyway just to remind him it's an election year .. No sense in not naming names. Who was he? I'll put him on my list too. JR

House-Mark Beaubien

Senate-Bill Peterson

Both have solid pro gun records, but then again, this is Lake County.

Know what you call a Liberal in Lake County?  Lost.

The lies the government tell the brainwashed liberals  just makes me want to puke!