Alphecca

Illinois Gun Bill Doomed?

Here's some whining from the Chicago Sun-Times:

Such is the political clout wielded by the gun lobby, the soonest gun law reformers can expect to take two steps forward without taking one or two steps back may be the 12th of Never. At least that's the way it must look to Gov. Blagojevich after the Illinois House approved a bill that would close the ''gun show loophole'' -- something he and Mayor Daley badly want to do -- but as part of a costly trade-off.

That trade-off, as provided for in another component of the bill, would be the elimination of the State Police database of gun sales. Gun lobbyists claim it is improperly used to harass lawful gun owners. Denying any misuse, law enforcement officials say the database is crucial to their efforts to track straw purchases and gun trafficking -- and to protect themselves by knowing which suspects are likely to be armed.

Blagojevich has vowed he will veto the bill, which fell two votes short of a veto-proof margin in the House after it passed with a wide enough majority in the Senate, even if that means seeing the loophole stay open indefinitely. As it stands, the loophole allows those who buy guns from private owners at gun shows to forgo the criminal background checks that Illinois law requires of other prospective gun buyers.

However, the National Rifle Association says it can deliver enough votes to override a veto. It should know, having designed this two-faced bill not only to grease the path for the database-killing measure in the House, but also to put the governor in precisely the no-win situation in which he finds himself.

As for the gun show "loophole", it depends on how they are defining gun shows. Other states have tried to call any three friends getting together in someone's living room or at a range a "gun show". If that is the case here, then I'm glad there's a chance the whole mess will be vetoed.

It will be the 12th of Never before the Sun-Times is satisfied with the level of gun control in Illinois.