Illinois Senate Democrats Don’t Have Enough Votes To Pass Gun ‘Control’ Bills

Gun rights supporters were victorious in Illinois today as voting on two gun “control” bills that Senate Democrats were trying to push through the Illinois General Assembly “lame duck” session were scrapped. Kurt Erickson reported on the website of the Pantagraph (Bloomington, Illinois) website this afternoon:

There’s not enough support in the Illinois Senate to impose tough new restrictions on semiautomatic weapons and high-capacity ammunition clips.

In a setback for gun control advocates in the wake of the murder of school children in Connecticut, the Illinois Senate was poised to adjourn Thursday without voting on two pieces of legislation aimed at limiting access to certain kinds of weapons and bullets.

Although the two proposals could emerge again when the legislature reconvenes next week, the lack of action shows the General Assembly remains divided on how to balance Second Amendment issues.

(Editor’s note: Italics added for emphasis)

Brian Brueggemann added on the website of the Belleville News-Democrat (Belleville, Illinois):

Senate Democrat leaders announced Thursday they did not have enough votes to pass their measures on the two issues.

“It is clear that we will need bipartisan support in order to take floor votes on gun safety and marriage equality this week. We will take some time to work on these important issues to advance them in the near future,” the Senate Democratic caucus said in a statement Thursday afternoon.

(Editor’s note: Italics added for emphasis)

Meanwhile, Illinois residents with at least half a brain are perplexed as to why these lawmakers aren’t focusing on more pressing issues- like the State of Illinois marching headlong towards insolvency with $8 billion in unpaid bills and a $96.8 billion pension funding gap.

By Christopher E. Hill, Editor
Survival And Prosperity (http://www.survivalandprosperity.com)

Sources:

Erickson, Kurt. “Ill. Senate drops controversial gun control measures.” Panatagraph. 3 Jan. 2013. (http://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/ill-senate-drops-controversial-gun-control-measures/article_f7d63ade-55de-11e2-b0f0-0019bb2963f4.html). 3 Jan. 2013.

Brueggemann, Brian. “Illinois Senate Dems put off votes on gun ban, gay marriage.” Belleville News-Democrat. 3 Jan. 2013. (http://www.bnd.com/2013/01/03/2446276/senate-dems-put-off-votes-on-gun.html). 3 Jan. 2013.