May
24, 2005--After suffering a defeat in April on legislation to
ban so-called "assault weapons" and .50 caliber rifles
(see Illinois
Legislature Shoots Down Gun Control Bills), Illinois Governor
Rod Blagojevich and Chicago Mayor Richard Daley were handed
yet another defeat.
The Illinois House defeated by a narrow
58 to 57 vote margin an amendment to an existing bill that would
have banned military-style semiautomatic firearms, as well as
.50 caliber rifles.
Governor Blagojevich and Mayor Daley
had lobbied intensely for the amendment, going so far as to
call lawmakers personally. They also distributed videos purported
to demonstrate the firepower of so-called "assault weapons."
The amendment--Amendment 5 to House
Bill HB2414--was offered by Represenatative Edward Acevedo (D-Chicago).
A representative for the National Rifle
Association said that the amendment was so broad that it would
ban firearms commonly used by hunters, target shooters and collectors.
Representative Acevedo denied that the
amendment was too broad. Acevedo also said that promised support
from other lawmakers didn't materialize.
Representative Lovana Jones (D-Chicago)
was among the lawmakers not voting on the amendment.
She said the ban would do little to
help with the problems that plague her district: drugs, poor
schools, and other issues.
"That's a wasted vote as far as
I'm concerned because nothing's going to stop them from making"
assault weapons, Representative Jones told the Associated Press,
"and as long as they make them, people are going to buy
them."
Despite two defeats in a bit more than
one month, both Governor Blagojevich and Mayor Daley promised
to continue to press for the bans.
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