Well
at least some leaders are attempting to stop the violence in this country that
is caused by assault weapons. I
personally believe it should be a nationwide assault ban on assault weapons and
a ban on purchasing weapons online.
 |
| Gov. Pat Quinn, Democrat |
Illinois
Governor Pat Quinn on Tuesday proposed a state ban on assault weapons in the
aftermath of the July 20 movie theater massacre in Colorado in which a former
graduate student is charged with killing 12 people with guns including a
semi-automatic rifle.
Quinn,
a Democrat, called himself a "strong supporter" of the constitutional
right to bear arms, but said in a letter to state legislators that the
proliferation of military-style assault weapons undermines public safety.
States
including California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York have
similar bans in place, Quinn said. A nationwide ban on certain semiautomatic
rifles expired in 2004.
Quinn's
proposal was outlined in a message in which he sent back to the legislature
with amendments a bill that would allow state residents to buy ammunition
through the mail. Legislators can decide to accept or reject his changes.
His
proposal comes at a time when the homicide rate in Chicago has drawn national
attention because of a 31 percent increase through July 20 compared with last
year.
U.S.
Congress is not expected to make any changes to national gun laws in the near
future.
