The Tribune gives us the broad picture.
After several failed attempts to pass a statewide ban on assault weapons, Gov. Rod Blagojevich and Chicago Mayor Richard Daley said Tuesday they will make the initiative a top priority in the current session of the state legislature.
In a joint news conference, the two Chicago Democrats called on the General Assembly to support their proposal to ban the manufacture, sale and possession of semi-automatic and .50-caliber weapons. […]
The governor will make a pitch directly to the General Assembly when it convenes for his annual State of the State Address on Wednesday. That speech comes two years after the expiration of the federal ban on assault weapons, after Congress failed to re-enact it. […]
Gun-rights groups say the legislation is unfair, because the description covers guns commonly used by law-abiding hunters and sport shooters.
“There’s no making these people happy,” said NRA lobbyist Todd Vandermyde. “They just want to ban as much stuff as they can … They will never be happy until they have eradicated firearm ownership.”
The Daily Herald covered the suburban angle.
Gov. Rod Blagojevich put the political bull’s-eye on suburban lawmakers Tuesday, challenging them to support an assault-weapons ban they helped defeat last year.
“The one area where crime is up is in suburban communities around the city,†Blagojevich said during a Chicago news conference. “And we are calling upon particularly those suburban legislators who last time around couldn’t vote for this, but now are in a position to vote for it.â€
But several suburban lawmakers Blagojevich could appeal to said they’re holding firm in their opposition.
“When you read the Second Amendment, it’s pretty clear. … It says the right to bear arms shouldn’t be infringed upon,†said state Rep. Michael Tryon, a Crystal Lake Republican.
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