Guns, Violence, and the USA

There is no doubt that we are overwhelmed with gun violence in Chicago and this nation. Family break down, mental illness, economics, and social failures have given fuel to this problem.

We are a nation that rules the world with peaceful assistance and the mighty arm of our military. Armed soldiers, missiles, drones, bombs, and many other deliveries of death are used by us daily to protect our great nation. To say that we do not live by the gun is not reality. We are not a non-violent nation within and without.  I do support the use of our might to level those enemies in this world that want our destruction. It is interesting to me that when we depend on violence so often to deal with  our enemies and terrorists, some Americans believe in total passive resistance when it comes to us personally in our homes and community.

Dealing with criminal events within our country is complex and should always demand our attention. With the Supreme Court ruling on personal rights to carry firearms we need to focus on remedies that are legal and can help us mitigate criminal firearm violence. With all the issues that face our municipalities and state, I have little tolerance to watch my tax dollars fight a battle that has already been decided. I also don't think the City of Highland Park should pass ordinances that will not increase safety in our community and only continue to divide our citizens.

The City Council of Highland Park voted 6-1 to pass a assault weapons ban in Highland Park. During one of my initial terms on the City Council I had the pleasure of negotiating our 20 year ordinance between Highland Park firearm owners and the ladies from the League of Women Voters that wanted a total ban. From that discussion we passed a law that prevented any sale of firearms in Highland Park and regulated handguns to individuals by requiring registration with the City and taking a course on gun safety. I thought it was a good compromise at the time that has seemed to work for the past 20 years. With the recent court rulings my understanding is that our old ordinance is now on shaky ground.

While I personally don't need to have an "Assault Weapon" as defined by the new city ordinance, I don't see that this firearm is any different from the many thousands of other semi-automatic firearms that are currently in Highland Park. Yes, there are thousands of guns currently owned by law abiding residents in Highland Park. Laws regarding personal firearm ownership in a small town like ours only causes conflict and continued disobedience to the legal system we must uphold. As most citizens have had enough with government inaction, over taxation, and intrusion, I would ask this City Council to retreat from this current position and let the State and Federal government deal with these issues.