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Health & Fitness

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Saner heads prevail for Lake Forest's assault weapon ban ordinance

Posted by Nancy J. Thorner, July 3, 2013 at 11:09 am Comment Recommend ---

Saner heads prevail for Lake Forest's assault weapon ban ordinance

Posted by Nancy J. Thorner, July 3, 2013 at 11:05 am Comment Recommend ---

The lead headline in the Chicago Tribune on Monday
stated: "Clock ticks on assault weapon bans." It's subtitle: "State
concealed carry bill offers one-time windows for local regulations, so
many towns scramble to weigh gun measures.


The article related how firearm enthusiasts and gun control advocates
were attending municipal board rooms in many suburbs as towns
considered outlawing or regulating assault weapons before a state law
completely eliminates their authority to act. Suburban gun control
advocates are riled up perceiving the issue as an infringement on Second
Amendment rights and action taken in haste without any existing problem
to mandate such action.







The debate was triggered when the state legislators recently approved
a bill to allow legal Illinois gun owners to carry concealed handguns.
Illinois is the only state in the nation without some manner of
concealed carry. HB183, waiting for Quinn's signature, would preempt
municipal home rule authority when it comes to local gun issues with
this one caveat.  It allows local laws to stand if already on the books
or were created 10 days before the governor signed the bill.  Pat Quinn
has until July 9  to sign House Bill 183 also known as the Firearm
Concealed Carry Act.

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Already the City Councils in Highland Park and Melrose Park have
taken action to ban assault weapons after their June 24 public hearing.


In the upscale community of Lake Forest in northern Illinois at a 
meeting on Monday, July 1st, the Lake Forest City Council (mayor and
eight alderman) gave a first reading to an ordinance that would ban
assault weapons.  There was standing room only in the Lake Forest City
Hall meeting room.  As a home rule community, unless Lake Forest acts
within 10 days of Gov. Patrick Quinn signing HB183 into law, Lake Forest
would be prohibited from legislating about assault weapons in any way
and at any time in the future. http://clerkshq.com/default.ashx?ClientSite=lakeforest-il&mode=pdf&url=/Content/LakeForest-il/council/2013/jul01_13ag.htm

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The
following morning limited insight was given into what took place at the
meeting the night before (July 1) by Lake Forest Patch editor, Jacob
Nelson, in his article, Lake Forest City Council discusses Assault Weapons Ban.


Scott Drury (D-Highwood) was in attendance at the Lake
Forest meeting.  He noted the repercussions of the concealed carry law
and what they would mean for home rule communities like Lake Forest,
they would lose a right they originally were able to regulate
themselves.  In this case, that right had to do with firearms.  Drury
also made clear that the gun law should not be treated as a second
amendment issue, but as one involving Lake Forest's home rule status.   http://lakeforest.patch.com/groups/politics-and-elections/p/lake-forest-city-council-discusses-assault-weapons-ban?ncid=newsltuspatc00000001&evar4=picks-1-post


State
representative  Rep. Drury lost no time after the concealed gun
legislation was passed in Springfield to let municipal officials know in
his 58th Representative District what communities and towns had to to
do to preserve their rights.


Unlike those who packed the City Council chambers to talk
about guns
in nearby Highland Park, the rhetoric of those who spoke at the Lake
Forest meeting left no doubt that The City of Lake Forest, Ordinance No.
2013 -- An Ordinance Regulating Possession and Ownership of Assault
Weapons was not
at all popular.  Out of twenty-four individuals who registered to speak
at the Lake Forest Council meeting, all but two were adamantly against
the ordinance to ban assault weapons.  The remaining two (both woman)
speaking in the affirmative, falsely equated the slaughtering of people
because of assault weapons and an unregulated industry.


Comments included the following by those opposed to the Lake Forest ordinance:




Problem is not with assault weapons, but with crazy people who use these weapons.

Gun laws do not work, nor would a ban on guns.


How can assault weapon be defined when even the military doesn't define them?


The best regulation is no regulation.


The ordinance will not do anything to make my children
safer, and it will impose hardships on many who are hunters and
collectors, as most of these weapons fall into this category.


The bill is nothing more than a feel good ordinance supported by Quinn to try to make gun laws uniform across the state.


Connecticut ranks 4th in its gun law strictness.  No one was left to protect the children at Sandy Hook.


The reason why criminals have guns in IL is because the state is corrupt.




Evident early in the meeting was that City Manger, Robert R. Kiely,
Jr.  (sixth highest paid manager in all of IL), and the lawyer for the
city of Lake Forest, Maria Del Perco, were in favor of having some type
of action taken by the end of the meeting.  http://forthegoodofillinois.org/wp-content/uploads/Top-10-Village-Managers-in-Illinois-2012.jpg




Lake Forest Mayor Don Schoenheider, however, noted that the purpose
of the meeting was to have a civil discussion on HB183 to decide what
was in the best interest for the residents of Lake Forest in the long
term. 


Enthusiastic clapping resulted, with a request to refrain from
this show of approval, when Mayor Schoenheider indicated that he was not
recommending a ban nor the same action that had been taken in Highland
Park.  



An early speaker was the chief law enforcement officer of Lake
Forest.  He indicated that safety was his goal, and that he took no
position on HB183.  His position was the defend the constitution and the
law and not to protrude on the action of the City Council.  Shared was
that only 2 murders had ever been gun-related in Lake Forest,
discounting suicides. 


One councilman expressed concern over the
constitutionality of whatever the Lake Forest City Council might decide
to do.  As stated, "Home rule authority does not give us a right to pass
an ordinance that is unconstitutional."  All councilmen recognized a
citizen's right to self defense in the home and that there was no
difference between a handgun and a rifle as legitimate weapons of self
defense.  


Upon hearing comments from all eight City Council
members and the mayor it was not surprising that of the three possible
options available --  1) agree and pass something tonight, 2) decide to
do nothing with the ordinance, or 3) table for now -- there is still
time to act -- and see what action Quinn takes on the HB183 -- the
latter was the agreed plan of action.  Decided was that any action would
be delayed until the next City Council meeting on July 15.  


A
new wrinkle is now in play.  A few hours after the Lake Forest City
Council decided to table its decision until July 15, it was reported on
Tuesday, July 2nd in the Chicago Tribune that
Quinn would rewrite the proposed legislation using his amendatory veto
powers.  As of now it is expected that lawmakers will override Governor
Quinn's changes when they return to Springfield next week, as the
concealed carry legislation (HB183) did pass with veto-proof majorities
in both the House and Senate.  www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/clout/chi-quinn-expected-to-use-amendatory-veto-powers-on-concealed-carry-bill-tuesday-20130701,0,6816106.story



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