Pro-gun bills surpass anti-gun bills
In Illinois, of all places:
Two gun-control measures cleared an Illinois House committee Wednesday, but Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and other gun-control proponents are still trailing gun supporters in the spring legislative session.
Major restrictions on guns failed last week in a Senate committee, and on Tuesday, a House committee approved two measures that would expand gun-owners’ rights by allowing them to carry concealed firearms.
“The Second Amendment is a right, it’s not a privilege, so we’re just standing firm with what we believe in and what our forefathers gave us,” said Rep. Brandon Phelps, sponsor of one of the concealed-carry bills.
Phelps, a Democrat from Norris City in southern Illinois, represents the state’s deep divide on gun issues, which typically breaks along regional rather than party lines. Metropolitan residents typically back restrictions to curb gun violence; rural residents fear hindering hunting and sport-shooting.
