Gun law heats up race for Congress (IL)

[K-Romulus]

You Illinois guys are in for a battle, too. Where do they get these veterans? We have the same nonsense here in MD.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/...coll=chi-newslocalwest-hed&ctrack=1&cset=true

CAMPAIGN 06

Gun law heats up race for Congress
Roskam challenged on assault weapons
By John Biemer and Christi Parsons
Tribune staff reporters
Published October 11, 2006


After a series of school shootings nationwide, Democratic congressional candidate Tammy Duckworth called Tuesday for "sensible" gun laws while accusing her Republican opponent, state Sen. Peter Roskam, of being a "rubber stamp" for the National Rifle Association.

She pointed out that Roskam is "at odds" with Henry Hyde, the man they're trying to replace in the 6th Congressional District, on the federal assault-weapons ban that Republican leaders let expire two years ago. Hyde, who endorsed Roskam as his successor, broke party ranks to support the federal ban on 19 kinds of semiautomatic assault weapons.

Roskam voted against a similar measure in the state legislature more than a decade ago and opposes the federal ban, which Duckworth supports. Roskam believes in enforcing laws already on the books to "keep guns out of the hands of criminals who'll abuse them and commit crimes," said his spokesman Ryan McLaughlin.

"Every gun can be considered a weapon, and what families in the 6th District want to make sure is those who use guns in violent crimes are penalized," McLaughlin said. "And Peter Roskam's record on that is very strong."

Duckworth, surrounded by Illinois Fraternal Order of Police President Ted Street and Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, said at a Lombard news conference that Roskam is "not looking out for the best interests of the 6th District." Instead, he is doing the NRA's bidding in return for campaign contributions and foot soldiers in the GOP campaign, she said.

"He's voted consistently against sensible gun laws and it's basically whatever the NRA wants, Peter Roskam will vote for," Duckworth said.

Since the assault-weapons ban expired, gunfire has again become the leading cause of death for police officers in the line of duty, surpassing motor-vehicle accidents, Street said.

"I have seen the effect of those weapons in military combat, and I can tell you there's no place for them in our communities or on our streets," Duckworth said, citing her experience in Iraq as a member of the Illinois Army National Guard.

Duckworth also supports the Brady Law, which requires background checks for gun purchases from federally licensed firearm dealers.

Roskam has been the point man on several initiatives of importance to gun-rights groups in the Illinois General Assembly.

As a compromise last year, he sponsored a plan that included a measure to close the so-called "gun-show loophole," which allowed people to buy guns at shows without an instant background check as long as they had a firearm owner's identification card. But he tied that to a provision requiring the destruction of state records on gun sales, a database the NRA believes authorities use to harass and monitor law-abiding gun owners.

After some legislative maneuvering, the records-destruction part was not enacted into law, but gun-rights advocates credit Roskam with sparking an intense debate over gun control--and firing up their members for the current campaign season.

He has managed to pass several NRA-backed bills to improve background checks for gun purchases and to reduce access by criminals and other ineligible buyers.

"As a lawyer, Peter understands the law and that words mean things," NRA spokesman Todd Vandermyde said. "He has worked to craft and build support for laws that are effective."

The school shootings, including the killing of five Amish girls in Pennsylvania, are a reminder of the need for "common sense" gun laws, Helmke said.

Although the assault-weapons ban may not have prevented that tragedy, it could have applied to a 13-year-old boy who fired an assault rifle Monday in a Missouri middle school.

"You're never going to be able to stop everything but we make it too easy in this country to get the weapons that are going to cause the damages," Helmke said.

 

[Soybomb]

To: [email protected]
cc: [email protected]

I'd like to address some comments made by Illinois Fraternal Order of
Police President Ted Street in a recent article regarding the 6th
Congressional District race. Mr. Street implies that since the expiration
of the federal assault weapon ban that police officers are being shot in
the line of duty far more often. That simply isn't true. According to
the FBI's 2004 "Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted" paper, from
1995 to 2004 an average of 54.5 officers were killed annually by firearms.
In 2005 it was 52 officers.

Mr. Street attemps to use statistics in a deceiving fashion as well.
While it appears as though more officers died from gun fire in 2005 than
automobile accidents, it is not because gun incidents are more common, it
is because automobile accidents declined from 48 in 2004 to 33 in 2005.
Perhaps Mr. Street shouldn't be campaigning for gun control as much as he
should be praising officers for buckling up and driving safer.

 

[SomeKid]

"I have seen the effect of those weapons in military combat, and I can tell you there's no place for them in our communities or on our streets," Duckworth said, citing her experience in Iraq as a member of the Illinois Army National Guard.

I call BS. Women don't do combat.

 

[TexasRifleman]

Since the assault-weapons ban expired, gunfire has again become the leading cause of death for police officers in the line of duty, surpassing motor-vehicle accidents, Street said.

I'd love to see the statistics to prove that one, and I'd like those statistics to include not just officers shot in the line of duty, but how many were shot with "assault weapons".

How much you wanna bet one has nothing to do with the other......:banghead:

 

[Jorg Nysgerrig]

I call BS. Women don't do combat.

You might want to try tuning in to this little thing over in Iraq that seems to have women "doing" combat.
Links: 1 2

Edited to add: I decided to check out what this Duckworth woman did in Iraq. You may not agree with her politics, but you can't dismiss her sacrifice for this country. Check out this article about her. Wow. I would say that losing both legs due to an RPG hitting the helicopter she was piloting counts "doing" combat.

 

[Soybomb]

I'd like those statistics to include not just officers shot in the line of duty, but how many were shot with "assault weapons".

Here's as close as you're gonna get
http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/killed/2004/table28.htm

The short of it is 73% of officers killed in a 10 year period by firearms were killed with handguns and of all the 545 officers killed only 313 were wearing body armor. His time would be far better spent telling his colleagues to wear their armor.

 

[Jeff White]

The FOP is a Labor Union

Think Teamsters, United Autoworkers, Machinists......As a labor union it will tow the political lne of the democratic party. It no more represents the views of police officers on any particular issue then the Teamsters represents the views of truck drivers on any particular issue.

Jeff

 

[Don Gwinn]

Two things:

1. Tammy Duckworth is a warrior who definitely saw combat and paid a high price for it.

2. Tammy Duckworth does not know the difference between the guns covered by the "Assault Weapons Ban" and the guns used by soldiers and insurgents in Iraq.

 

[DerringerUser]

 

[Atticus]

"Think Teamsters, United Autoworkers, Machinists......As a labor union it will tow the political lne of the democratic party. It no more represents the views of police officers on any particular issue then the Teamsters represents the views of truck drivers on any particular issue."

Jeff,
Do most LEOs belong to the FOP? Any idea what the percentages would be? Is membership required by any agencies? I was always curious about that.

 

[Jeff White]

I really don't know what percentage of officers belong to the FOP. It's a union just like any other union and membership is required if they are the collective bargaining agent for your department, except in right to work states.

People should be no more shocked about this union taking positions and making political endorsements in lock step with the platform of the democratic party then they should be when Teamsters, UAW, Machinists, AFSME or any other union does. It's nothing more then big labor. Of course they aren't going to trot out the endorsement of the Teamsters on an issue like this, no one cares what Teamsters think about the AWB. But if you check, you'll find that big labor endorses the democratic candidate every time. Unions are a core constituancy of the Democrats. If Roskam wasn't progun, this wouldn't be an issue and Duckworth would have leaders from other unions with larger membership on the platform with her.

This is just a way to illustrate differences in the candidates. If Duckworth were running for statewide office, she'd be doing just what Blagojevich is doing, hiding her anti gun agenda in Central and Southern Illinois and taking allocades from the Bradys in Chicagoland. Blagojevich is campaigning heavily on his antigun record around Chicago, but those ads aren't ever played down here.

Jeff

 

[Kim]

I would expect a person who served in the military to know something about firearms and the second amendment. Sorry I do not admire her. Same with Wesley Clark. I think both are self serving party Democrats. Both are apparently willing to toe the line with ignorance and infringe on constitutional rights. I would NEVER vote for a vet like this. They are dangerous to liberty and freedom at home.. She should know better. SHAME.

 

[Kim]

This is the reason I hope all UNIONS get run out of the country. They are dishonest political machines. If they would keep to things like wages, benefits, pensions and not support every left wing stance ie gun control, abortion, gay marriage etc they might get some respect. I will never be a part of a UNION unless they drop their lying BS. They do not have to play the political game the way they do. They are dirty. First Commies, then the MAFIA, and now the Socialista run the dang things. They remind me of a gang of thugs. They need to clean up their act. But you know what. I think they really do support all the lefty positions and believe in them. The workers need to clean their own house cause it stinks. Just my honest opinion.

 

[Jeff White]

I would bet that most union members have no idea what their leadership is doing in their name politically. Most union members only care about what goes on in their local.

Oragnized labor is dying on the vine.

Jeff

 

[SomeKid]

Tammy Duckworth may have been in the military, and suffered from enemy fire, but based on her political views, she is no more a friend to freedom than Saddam Hussein.

She is just another Max Cleland.