Mayor Daley Urges Lawmakers: Ban Assault Weapons

Mayor Richard M. Daley joined Gov. Rod Blagojevich today in urging the Illinois General Assembly to ban military-style assault weapons and 50-caliber rifles.

“We’ve made great progress over the last several years in reducing the amount of violent crime in our city and our state,” Daley said at a news conference at the Central District Police Station, 1718 S. State St. “But if we expect to maintain that progress, we have to keep the most dangerous weapons off our streets.

“Every sane person would agree that machine guns and grenades should be illegal. Their only purpose is to kill large numbers of people. The same is true of military-style assault weapons.

“These guns are capable of firing off 30 rounds or more in five or six seconds. No responsible hunter or target shooter would ever use a weapon like that. You don’t need a TEC-9 to shoot ducks, and you don’t need an AK-47 for home protection.”

The assault weapons ban is part of a package of middle-of-the-road gun bills the Mayor is supporting. The other bills would:

• Require guns in a home with children under the age of 18 to have trigger locks or be disassembled and placed in a locked box or container.

• Limits handgun purchases to one per person per month.

• Requires gun dealers to obtain state licenses.