* From Progress Illinois…
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn and U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (D-IL,2) urged state lawmakers to take action on gun violence during a Sunday visit to the site of a recent fatal shooting in Chicago’s Morgan Park neighborhood. Gun violence over the fourth of July holiday weekend in Chicago left 16 people dead and more than 60 others injured.
Quinn and Kelly called on state legislators to pass the Illinois Public Safety Act, which seeks to ban the sale or delivery of assault weapons and high capacity ammunition magazines in Illinois and require background checks for the transfer of guns, according to a release from the governor’s office.
“The recent epidemic of violence in Chicago is unacceptable and we must join together to fight back,” Quinn said in a statement. “Public safety is government’s foremost mission and Illinois should not wait any longer to act. There are too many victims of a war being waged on our streets, a war fueled in part by the availability of deadly, military-style assault weapons that have no purpose other than killing.
“We must work together to protect the lives of those we love and stop what’s happening in our communities. I urge the Illinois General Assembly to take a stand and pass this legislation that will save lives and protect communities.”
It was an emotional event. Raw audio…
Quinn has been politically hammered (perhaps fatally) by his bungling (and perhaps worse) of his own 2010 anti-violence initiative. He needs to somehow retake the high ground on this issue. That press conference was the beginning.
* And speaking of the anti-violence initiative…
Republican candidate for governor Bruce Rauner was at the Run to End Homelessness Sunday.
This was the fourth year of the 5K run. A Safe Haven Foundation held the event in Douglas Park.
Rauner has been involved in the Safe Haven Foundation since its inception and chatted with participants before the run.
“It’s a very important cause,” he said. “I was honored to be one of the early angel investors in helping get A Safe Haven founded. And it’s a great organization. They do wonderful work helping end homelessness, and provide support service, transition service, especially our veterans.”
How is this related? Well, A Safe Haven Foundation received money from Quinn’s now radioactive anti-violence initiative.
Rauner’s campaign needs to keep that in mind when attacking Quinn on the topic. A Safe Haven is a great group (I’ve covered their work in the past here, here and here and some pals of mine and I sent them a few hundred bucks several years ago after turning a silly drinking game into a quickie fundraiser).
Rauner helped found this top notch group and its director appeared in a Rauner TV ad. These days, any connection at all to Quinn’s anti-violence program is somehow deemed corrupt. But that’s just not the reality. We should all keep that in mind.
* Other stuff…
* Another weekend, another shooting? Chicago needs a Marshall Plan
* Charges filed in death of photographer in Rogers Park
* Four officers injured in Montrose Beach melee: “One of my friend’s cousins got hit on the head,” said Mejias, who lives in the Clearing neighborhood on the Southwest Side. “Everybody’s like all riled up, so you see these gangbangers, they’re different kinds of gang, so they’re fighting on the other side.
* Rauner invested in troubled fund linked to Daley’s son: Rauner was among the early investors, pledging $200,000 for an ownership stake in Cardinal Growth of less than 2 percent. According to Schrimpf: “Some acquaintances of Bruce’s knew Bob Bobb, a former U.S. attorney, and encouraged Bruce to invest. A number of Chicago-area business folks invested in Cardinal, and Bruce had heard about it from a few of them.
* Quinn also had ties to seized firm: Bobb, a former federal prosecutor, and five other Cardinal officials contributed a total of $2,800 to Quinn’s federal campaign fund in April 2009, when Bobb hosted a fund-raiser for Quinn… McInerney gave $700 to Quinn’s campaign fund in 2004.
- Formerly Known As... - Monday, Jul 14, 14 @ 10:47 am:
Assault weapons are not driving these shootings and senseless violence. Despair, lack of opportunity, poor schools and poor public safety are, among other major contributing factors.
Having kids hand out flyers or attend yoga classes as some were may sound like a good idea on paper but does very little in the way of alleviating the strife and challenges plaguing our children’s future in these communities.
Then again, that discussion wouldn’t make for much of a press conference, much less an “emotional” one.
- Shemp - Monday, Jul 14, 14 @ 10:49 am:
Similar to above, I am sure this sells well to the right crows, but it’s just trying to be opportunistic and does nothing to solve the problem. I have a sneaking suspicion “assault” weapons and high capacity magazines had little to do with the numerous incidents. So again, we allow the problem to go on by focusing on the wrong things.
- Ken_in_Aurora - Monday, Jul 14, 14 @ 10:49 am:
I know it’s not as sexy as a big photo op event, but why not try enforcing the current laws first?
- Anonymous - Monday, Jul 14, 14 @ 10:50 am:
The narrative from Rahm, et al lately has been such guns are coming in from Indiana a Wisconsin….meaning any such legislation would have zero effect on what they claim is the main problem.
- oz - Monday, Jul 14, 14 @ 10:51 am:
What short memories they have.
The last time they started preaching about that same ol’ gun ban garbage guess what happened at a south side Chicago meeting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jzo9lCBYzA4
- Formerly Known As... - Monday, Jul 14, 14 @ 10:52 am:
I would add that Rich makes an excellent and important point. There were some good people doing good work as a part of the NVRI.
It’s a real shame that the bad apples, greed and lackadaisical oversight undermined and corrupted the whole program for all the good ones out there.
- Anonymous - Monday, Jul 14, 14 @ 10:54 am:
==I would add that Rich makes an excellent and important point. There were some good people doing good work as a part of the NVRI.==
If you wanna sneak a bad apple by inspection, the best way to do it is bury it under a bunch of other clean apples.
- chicago guy - Monday, Jul 14, 14 @ 10:55 am:
I thought Illinois already had required background checks for all gun purchases. First an individual must get a FOID card,second, they must contact the ISP for a “permission for sale” number. So what is the Gov. proposing here?
- oz - Monday, Jul 14, 14 @ 11:02 am:
It’s getting old and the people are getting fed up.
How many FOID card holders have been detained for causing the Chicago violence? How many conceal carry card holders have been arrested for the violence in Chicago?
And yet the agenda by Rahm, Quinn, Obama, and the democratic party continues.
“In a stinging rebuke to Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, the National Action Network’s Illinois Chairman has criticized the mayor of raising millions in campaign contributions saying he should instead raise money to keep schools open and to provide resources for community programs.
The Rev. Gregory Seal Livingston was pointed in his remarks. “If Rahm can raise money for his campaign, he can raise money to replace resources that have been ripped from disadvantaged and challenged communities where senseless violence erupted once again this weekend.”
Livingston added: “School closings and union busting are just a few of the grave issues that affect this nature of violence.””
http://www.bet.com/news/national/2014/07/10/chicago-mayor-emanuel-is-criticized-by-illinois-national-action-network.html
Looks like these people are not about to buy into this gun control solution that does NOTHING.
- way south of chicago - Monday, Jul 14, 14 @ 11:02 am:
I thought Chicago and some, if not most of the suburbs passed a semi auto ban as part of the concealed carry act. Seems like they had 10 days to vote one in. Or am i just dreaming?
- Skirmisher - Monday, Jul 14, 14 @ 11:12 am:
I don’t care much for the AR type rifles loosely termed “assault rifles” by ignorant politicos and media guys. However, I also suspect that most or all of this Chicago mayhem occurs with small semi-automatic pistols, easily concealable. So…..More meaningless posturing by Quinn to impress his Chicago base, and nothing much that ought to concern the rest of us. On to somethign more relevant, please.
- Hit or Miss - Monday, Jul 14, 14 @ 11:22 am:
===It’s getting old and the people are getting fed up.===
This issue may be getting old in some sections of Illinois but not in Chicago. The daily shootings and killings continues make the availability of guns a real issue of importance for residents of the city.
- The real problem - Monday, Jul 14, 14 @ 11:25 am:
The real problem! No good paying private sector jobs. People are being force to live off Government hand outs their whole life. They have no place to get away from the gangs and nothing to do. When they are young they join street gangs for protection and the gang replaces the normal family. There is so much crime the State Attorney does not prosecute the criminals. Very few murders are ever solved? Who wants to come forward and testify against a gang member who had tens of thousand more members on the street. Mandatory stiff sentences for felons with firearm or violent crimes with firearms. Help the people find decent private sector job and change Chicago. Giving out $54 million of taxpayer money to friends of QUINN, didn’t do anything to help the people that need it. I guess the real problem is the majority of the people in power are just looking for a handout. We have to give the intercity youth and incentive to change. Just in the last decade we have torn down the projects and dislocated the gangs all over Chicago. Now the small group of gangs fight daily to control turf. I see Quinn is yelling BAN this BAN that. But I don’t see him using the state resource to stop anything. Bring in the State Police, ATF, and Homeland security. They don’t have to drive around in Tanks with machine guns. Walk the streets and talk to the people affected.
- wordslinger - Monday, Jul 14, 14 @ 11:45 am:
–“It’s a very important cause,” he said. “I was honored to be one of the early angel investors in helping get A Safe Haven founded. And it’s a great organization. They do wonderful work helping end homelessness, and provide support service, transition service, especially our veterans.” –
Wow, that is news. Rauner claims to knows what’s going on in something he’s involved with!
- RonOglesby - Now in TX - Monday, Jul 14, 14 @ 12:53 pm:
—
There are too many victims of a war being waged on our streets, a war fueled in part by the availability of deadly, military-style assault weapons that have no purpose other than killing.—
I agree with the first part of this statement… its a war. But not fueled by the so called Assault weapon. Fueled by Gangs, and turf/drug fighting, retribution, and covered by a code of silence that keeps many of the doers out on the street.
If it was FUELED by the guns and simple access was the problem, wouldn’t it be a problem everywhere there were guns? Its fueled by rampant poverty, gangs/drugs, and no local societal fabric that makes it unacceptable to be a gang banging, thieving, shooting, little punk.
But… if you say that, you dont get the votes.
- anon - Monday, Jul 14, 14 @ 1:18 pm:
It would be interesting to know what type of firearm was used in all of these incidents, and how many of the shooters had a FOID card (let alone CCW permit) and used a legally obtained firearm.
Since that information is usually not pointed out unless it was “an assault rifle”, my guess would be very few if any.
- mcb - Monday, Jul 14, 14 @ 2:44 pm:
Just look at the caliber of the guns used. 7.62×39 (AK) or .223 or .556 (AR) are hardly ever used. It’s 9mm, .38, .32. etc, all pistol calibers. It’s always sexier to ban knives, even when the crimes are actually being committed with spoons.
- sal-says - Monday, Jul 14, 14 @ 2:56 pm:
==Republican candidate for governor Bruce Rauner was at the Run to End Homelessness Sunday.
Rauner has been involved in the Safe Haven Foundation since its inception and chatted with participants before the run.==
“involved since its inception…”
Exactly what has he DONE with his ‘involvement’?