Yes, boys and girls, once in a while you find a good one. And this one is in Illinois! State Senator William Haine has gotten two gun bills through the Illinois Senate that actually make sense. Both are awaiting action by the house of Reps. The first regards the use of firearms by convicted felons, the second one is the really good news.
You might remember the case of a man in the Chicago suburb of Wilmette, where handguns are banned, last December. Hale DeMar shot and wounded a burglar who had entered his kitchen. The same man had broken into DeMar's house the night before, stole a set of keys, and the family SUV. When he returned the next night to continue his crime spree, he was shot by DeMar in the kitchen of the home. Wilmette authorities charged DeMar with a violation of the local ordinance that bans handgun possession, and Cook County authorities said they would charge DeMar will failing to renew his state Firearm Owners' Identification Card (FOID), which had expired in 1988. The cases caused a public outcry, and DeMar's attorneys have filed a court challenge, alleging that DeMar's constitutional Privacy rights have been violated. A hearing on that matter is set for April 22nd.
Haine responded to the controversy by co-sponsoring Senate Bill 2165, which allows for an affirmative defense of self-defense by any homeowner who shoots a criminal invader in his home, and also pre-empts home rule. Haine and his co-sponsors argued for the measure because self defense, "should take precedence over any ordinance, however well-intentioned, to ban firearms".
While the bill's passage thru the house will not nullify the Wilmette handgun ban, it will allow a resident to use a handgun for self-defense without repercussions.
One step at a time!
Now, if they can just get it past the idiot Anti-gun/Anti-fun Governor, (Rod Blagojevich) Illinois might take its first forward step in fifty years!
I call on my fellow Illinoisians to join me in contacting your local representatives, and get this sucker passed, with enough votes that the Gov can't veto it! :grin:
Papajohn
