It’s been all of three days since he rolled through a virtually-uncontested primary, and Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is already 0-2 in Big Proposals. First, he proposed raising Illinois’ already high minimum wage by another dollar, threatening the jobs of the very entry-level and low-wage workers he ostensibly was trying to help. Now he proposes an ineffectual ban on “assault” weapons
Blagojevich appeared at a rally here Thursday with anti-gun groups galvanized by the killings this month of 10-year-old Siretha White and 14-year-old Starkesia Reed. The girls both died in their Chicago homes after being hit by stray bullets fired from the street outside.
The governor called for legislators to have some “political courage” and stand up to the gun lobby, which he said “put fear into their hearts and minds.”
“This really comes down to what you stand for and whether you’re willing to stand up to some powerful people,” Blagojevich said.
So-called assault weapons are already subject, along with all other firearms, to myriad laws and regulations restricting their purchase, possession and use. Had the Chicago police done a better job enforcing existing gun laws, the tragedy the Governor decries would have been prevented, and without restricting the rights of legitimate owners of such weapons.
Further, the federal “assault weapons” ban had virtually no impact on violent crime while it was in effect from 1994-2004, and enacting a state ban would have virtually no impact now. Prior to 1994, “assault weapons†were used in 1.4% of crimes involving firearms and 0.25% of all violent crime before the enactment of any national or state “assault weapons†ban. After a decade of federal enforcement, fewer than 1.1% of violent crimes were committed with any type of firearm besides a handgun. Only 1.4% of recovered crime weapons are models covered under the 1994 assault weapons ban.
The statistics are remarkably consistent - criminals generally (the ones in the Chicago incident notwithstanding) don’t prefer “assault weapons”, which are unwieldy and harder to hide than a handgun. And the ones that are prone to using such weapons aren’t deterred by a ban. About the only effect the federal ban did have was to increase the black market value of stolen weapons.
Luckily, it doesn’t look like there is support in either the House or the Senate for the proposal.
