Gun Control, Chicago-Style
Michael Ejercito
Gun Control, Chicago-Style
The shameless hypocrisy of Windy City politicians
Steve Chapman | November 23, 2009
Last week, the body of Chicago school board president Michael Scott
was found in the Chicago River with a single bullet wound in his head.
The big story was that this powerful, well-connected public official
had, according to the county medical examiner, committed suicide. The
less-noticed story was that he did it with an illegal weapon.
After all, handgun ownership is not allowed in the city of Chicago,
which has one of the strictest gun control laws in the country, and
Scott killed himself with a .380-caliber sidearm.
Unlike most Chicagoans, Scott could have been a legal handgun owner.
Because he had it before the ban was enacted, he was allowed to
register and keep it. But the police department says he never did. By
having it in the city, Scott was guilty of an offense that could have
gotten him jail time.
Amazingly enough, he was not the first local public official to take
the view that firearms restrictions are something for other, ordinary
people to observe. Chicago politicians are zealously committed to gun
control in law but fairly relaxed about it in practice.
In 1994, State Sen. Rickey Hendon had an unregistered handgun stolen
from his home in a burglary, and he didn't feign contrition about his
disregard of the ordinance.
"I have a right to protect myself," he declared, noting that he had
been burglarized before—and forgetting that the state legislature of
which he is a member allows Illinois cities to deprive their citizens
of that right. Asked if he would replace the lost piece, Hendon said,
"No comment." The police were kind enough not to charge him.
U.S. Sen. Roland Burris, another Chicagoan, has endorsed a nationwide
ban on handguns and, in 1993, organized Chicago's first Gun Turn-in
Day. But the following year, while running unsuccessfully for
governor, he admitted he owned a handgun—"for protection," he explained
—and hadn't seen fit to turn it in along with those other firearms.
Lesser mortals apparently can protect themselves with forks and
spoons.
Scott was shot in the abdomen while chasing a burglar in 1988, so it's
understandable that he would appreciate the value of having the means
to defend himself against criminals. But that understanding didn't
extend to the needs of ordinary Chicagoans. When the city gun ban was
challenged in court, the board of education that he headed filed a
brief defending Chicago's right "to prohibit classes of arms in order
to prevent crime and protect public safety."
A law banning handguns, in Scott's view, was necessary to protect
public safety. But when it came to protecting his private safety, he
somehow perceived the law to be a hindrance, not a help.
Does his attitude carry the distinct tang of hypocrisy? Yes, but
that's not out of the ordinary for Chicago politicians. Under a state
law dating back to 1872, mayors and aldermen are designated peace
officers. And, conveniently, peace officers are permitted to not only
own but carry handguns.
That makes aldermen a special class in Illinois, one of only two
states with an almost complete ban on the carrying of concealed
handguns. In most places, an adult with no criminal record or history
of psychiatric commitment can get a concealed-carry license after
taking a training class.
But here, we have a unique system. You want to be able to pack a
weapon in public for your safety? Fine. All you have to do is 1) run
for the city council and 2) win.
Why the state assumes that aldermen are fit for this prerogative is a
mystery. "Law-abiding" is not the very first word that comes to mind
when you think of the city council. Since 1972, 27 of its members have
been convicted on charges involving malfeasance, misfeasance,
nonfeasance, disfeasance, and anti-feasance with mopery aforethought.
It would be hard to come up with a group of people that has proven
itself less deserving of blanket trust. The most recent convict,
Arenda Troutman, got four years in prison for bribery after being
caught on tape attesting that "most aldermen, most politicians are
ho's." At a 1991 neighborhood meeting that got rowdy, Ald. Dorothy
Tillman reportedly pulled out her handgun and waved it pugnaciously.
In Chicago, only criminals and aldermen are armed. Forgive me for
being redundant.
edi...@netpath.net
himself over being jilted by some girlfriend?
http://www.redstate.com/erick/2009/08/04/where-is-your-townhall/ is
the all-states, continually-updated calendar of "town halls."
http://www.Internet-Gun-Show.com - your source for hard-to-find stuff!
Nobammer
> been burglarized before�and forgetting that the state legislature of
> which he is a member allows Illinois cities to deprive their citizens
> of that right. Asked if he would replace the lost piece, Hendon said,
> "No comment." The police were kind enough not to charge him.
>
> U.S. Sen. Roland Burris, another Chicagoan, has endorsed a nationwide
> ban on handguns and, in 1993, organized Chicago's first Gun Turn-in
> Day. But the following year, while running unsuccessfully for
> governor, he admitted he owned a handgun�"for protection," he explained
> �and hadn't seen fit to turn it in along with those other firearms.
There has to be massive voter fraud in Chicago. There couldn't be that
many ignorant people in one city to keep electing these filthy anti
America politicians. Chicago politicians are nothing but crap and hurt
everyone in the state. That includes the illegal alien Bastard occupying
the white house.