Governor Offers Deal On Gun Legislation
Blagojevich Wants All Assault Weapons Banned
POSTED: 1:23 pm CST March 30,
2004
UPDATED: 5:20 pm CST March 30,
2004
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- Gov. Rod Blagojevich says he would sign legislation lowering the minimum age to obtain a firearm owner's identification card without parental consent, but only if the Legislature also sends him a bill banning all assault weapons, an administration source said Tuesday."To do something like have this FOID card provision passed with a statewide ban on assault weapons, in my judgment, does a lot more to fight crime," Blagojevich said.The federal ban on manufacturing and importing at least 19 types of common military-style assault weapons expires Sept. 13. It isn't clear if Congress will extend the ban, so Blagojevich plans to address the matter on a state level, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Blagojevich also announced Tuesday that he would veto two concealed-carry bills to ease gun laws if the bills reach his desk. One bill would allow a self-defense claim to override municipal handgun bans and the other would allow retired police officers and former military police to carry concealed weapons. None of the bills has yet been sent to the governor.Blagojevich spokeswoman Cheryle Jackson has said that the measures are "nothing more than Trojan horses to turn Illinois into a conceal-and-carry state." The Illinois Senate approved the bill to allow retired police officers and former military police to carry concealed weapons, and the legislation is now pending in the House. The governor said he might sign a concealed carry bill restricted to only police officers.Both chambers have passed versions of a bill that would allow people who break local gun laws to avoid penalties if they used the weapon in self-defense. The legislation stems from a case in Wilmette in which a man shot a burglar who had broken into his home for the second time. Cook County prosecutors declined to seek charges, but Wilmette officials charged him with breaking the city's ban on handguns.Each chamber also has approved bills that would lower to 18 from 21 the minimum age to own a gun in Illinois without parental consent. Lawmakers argued that 18-year-olds are old enough to serve in the military and should be trusted to own firearms. Critics, including Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, argued lowering the age for a firearms owner's card without parental consent would increase violence."I don't know where we're going," Daley said. "I don't know why we have to arm 18-year-olds with weapons. I don't know why. Are we better off in our homes? Are we better off in and around our schools?"Blagojevich argued he has a statewide constituency of are hunters who want a lower age for FOID cards. Police officials are concerned about repercussions in Chicago, where 18-year-old gang members would legally be able to buy all the shotguns and rifles they want.Jackson said the legislation is intended for hunting purposes. Illinois law prohibits anyone under the age of 21 from owning a handgun, she said.
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