Peoria Journal Star: Gun-control bills under fire from hunters

[Tweed]

http://www.pjstar.com/stories/040405/REG_B61MDSOA.045.shtml

BLOOMINGTON - Illinois hunters and gun dealers are trying to shoot down a flurry of gun-control proposals they say rose from fear in the streets of Chicago, far from the downstate prairies and woods where guns are appreciated for sport.
They see no room for compromise on Chicago-led efforts to ban assault weapons and .50-caliber rifles and ammunition, and they oppose proposals to require background checks for gun-show purchases and to limit gun buyers to one handgun per month.

"The problem is once you start banning things, where does it end?" asked Dan Brookman, a retired police officer who owns a gun dealership in Pana, midway between Springfield and Effingham. "Banning is nothing but censorship. Once they're done with the Second Amendment, they could move on to the First."

Chicago officials say they understand the sensitivity of gun measures in Illinois and have carefully tailored their proposals over the years to minimize the impact on hunters. A bill to require statewide licensing of gun dealers, for example, would apply only to handguns, not rifles or shotguns.

[DrGonzoLives]

1. Is there some epidemic of gun violence

in downstate Illinois that no one has heard about? If not, then why do Chicago legislators feel the need to enact Chicago-style gun control all over the state?

Chicago has a compelling interest for these kinds of laws. Carbondale doesn't. This kind of thing only drives the rest of the state straight into the Republican's arms.

[benEzra]

2. AS IF most gun owners were hunters...

Nationally, only 1 in 5 gun owners is a hunter. Four out of five aren't.

The proposed ban would outlaw ALL civilian shotguns that take a detachable magazine. All of them. As well as all fixed-magazine civilian shotguns that hold more than 5 rounds.

This measure would ban civilian rifles and shotguns based on how the stock is shaped (if the handgrip sticks out, it's banned).

It also bans all civilian firearms, including ordinary handguns and .22 caliber squirrel rifles, that hold more than 10 rounds.

THAT is a huge slap in the face to law-abiding gun owners, especially considering that last year there were only four murders in the ENTIRE state using rifles and shotguns of ANY type.

http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius_04/offenses_reported/offense_tabulations/table_20-22.html

State.....Total.....Total.....Handguns...Rifles...Shotguns....Firearms......Edged......Other......Hands, Fists,
.........Murders...Firearms................................(Type Unknown)..Weapons....Weapons........Feet

Illinois.....448.....337.........313.......4..........0..........20..........37...........64..........10

Can the hysteria and look at the data. All rifles and shotguns COMBINED accounted for only 4 murders out of 448 in the state in 2005. More than twice as many people in Illinois were murdered with fists and feet as with all kinds of rifles combined. Nine times as many people were murdered with edged weapons as with rifles.

So, tell me again why civilian ownership of rifles and shotguns with handgrips that stick out is SO dangerous that they need to be outlawed?

[dogman]

3. It's what the media presents.

With the innocent kids killed lately in Chicago the publicity is out there and Blag has already put it forward as a top issue. I would like to actually know the number of votes gained and the number of votes lost over what is a totally fabricated issue. The odds are those kids were killed with illegal weapons anyway. There is actually a better reason to outlaw the AK-47s and sport models of that weapon. But that involves trade policies which are a whole different issue.