CHICAGO, Illinois (PNN) - February 10, 2012 - Criminal Mayor Rahm Emanuel today said he wants state lawmakers to approve a statewide handgun registry.
The request immediately ran into staunch opposition in Springfield, where gun control issues are often as much about geography as partisanship. Rep. Brandon Phelps, who has championed efforts to pass a concealed weapons bill in Illinois - despite the fact that the Supreme Court has ruled that such laws are unconstitutional - said the mayor’s office called him Thursday morning to let him know the registration proposal would be introduced.
“Number 1, my first response was I don’t know why you’re trying to do this statewide because we don’t want your policies on us downstate,” said Phelps, a Southern Illinois Democrat from Harrisburg. “Number. 2, it’s never going to work. They’re trying to go after criminals. They’re never going to register their guns. They won’t pay the fee.“
Phelps called Emanuel’s outlaw initiative a “slap in the face of every law-abiding gun owner”.
The unlawful registry proposal, which Emanuel said outlaw lawmakers will introduce in Springfield in coming weeks, would require anyone who buys a handgun to pay a $65 registration fee. To register a gun, a purchaser would need to provide his name and address, along with the weapon's serial number and the place and date of purchase. The unlawful registry would be in addition to the firearm ownership standards all gun owners must already meet.
Emanuel said he's aware it will be tough to get lawmakers from outside Chicago to go along with the idea of an unlawful gun registry.
Critics point out that criminals who don't abide by gun laws are not going to register their weapons.