Blagojevich ratchets up rhetoric on gun measuresRYAN KEITH
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Stung by a series of losses on gun control measures, the Blagojevich administration is turning up the rhetoric to put lawmakers in an unusual us-against-them situation.
"There isn't really any middle ground on this issue," State Police Director Larry Trent said at a news conference Tuesday. "You either stand with the gun lobby or you stand with law enforcement."
The battle centers on how guns are transported, tracked and traded. Gov. Rod Blagojevich vetoed three bills on the issue, and lawmakers must decide whether to override the vetoes when they return to the Capitol Wednesday.
Blagojevich says the measures would create more dangers for Illinois citizens and law enforcement by loosening gun restrictions. The Democratic governor is calling undecided lawmakers, or those who might be persuaded to switch, and asking for their support, Trent said.
Gun control groups are joining Blagojevich in framing the issue as a stark choice for lawmakers.
"Those who oppose the veto of the governor are upholding crime," Jennifer Bishop of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence said at the news conference with Trent. "They are advocating for criminals and against victims."
But the National Rifle Association is making a strong push to override the vetoes. It has already gotten the Senate to vote to override one of them. That measure is pending in the House.
An NRA spokeswoman called the administration's comments "shameless."
"Blagojevich's tactics are really unbecoming of a chief executive," said spokeswoman Kelly Hobbs. "We would prevail if the vote was made on fact, but it creates an obstacle when the governor is ready to throw in everything and the kitchen sink to win."
At issue is a bill that would require law enforcement to destroy records of gun purchases within 90 days. Another would let gun owners trade firearms without a 24-hour waiting period. The third would bar local governments from setting their own restrictions on how to transport weapons.
Battles over gun control measures are common at the Capitol, where state lawmakers are divided on the issue more by geography than political allegiances. Lawmakers in and around Chicago tend to favor gun restrictions, while those downstate generally support the rights of hunters and gun owners.
Recent success by the NRA and its allies in passing legislation they favor and blocking restrictions they oppose have raised the stakes for the governor and gun control advocates, however.
The most hotly contested of the governor's vetoes involves destroying records.
Blagojevich and his allies argue the records are important tools for law enforcement to track guns used in crimes. Gun owners claim the records are used to violate their privacy rights.
But that battle might not play out this week. The bill's sponsor said Tuesday he was still undecided whether to push for an override or continue working on the proposal.
"I'm getting lobbied hard both ways," said Sen. John Millner, R-Carol Stream, a former police chief. "It does become a firestorm issue sometimes. I try to get beyond that."
Law enforcement complains the trading bill will let gun owners trade up to higher-powered weapons without waiting periods that discourage impulsive gun crimes. They also argue communities should have the right to pass strict rules on how weapons must be stored when gun owners are passing through.
The gun lobby contends the trading bill will remove an obstacle for law-abiding gun owners attending gun shows and that the transportation bill would eliminate confusion by establishing a single statewide standard.
http://www.belleville.com/mld/belleville/news/local/13054327.htm*FW Note:Following our Priesident's lead, the State Police Director in Illinois considers anyone who disagrees with him to be a criminal.
"
You either stand with the gun lobby or you stand with law enforcement."
Consider that the "gun lobby" promotes the interests of legal trade and possession of firearms by
law-abiding people.
Watch your backs up there, if you've got a gun, you're guilty of
something...
:evil:
