Type: Title:
Committee(s) Assignment:
Cappleman, James (46) Pawar, Ameya (47) Osterman, Harry (48)
Mnnrp .Insonh (AQ\
Resolution
Call for United States Congress and Illinois Assembly to pass an assault weapons ban to protect communities
RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Assault weapons are a class of military-style semi-automatic firearms, designed and manufactured for the sole purpose of killing many people quickly, and are the weapon of choice for criminals, enabling them to commit some of our Nation's deadliest crimes; and
WHEREAS, Tragically, there has been a recent series of shooting rampages in which innocent bystanders, attendees at movie theaters, gatherers at political events, school children, and others have been killed by individuals wielding and firing semi-automatic weapons, including at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut and the Century Movie Theater in Aurora, Colorado; and
WHEREAS, In 1994, the United States Congress, recognizing the threat to public safety posed by the continued availability of assault weapons, enacted the Federal Assault Weapon Ban, which banned certain models of assault weapons, as well as high capacity magazines. During the first nine years of the federal ban, the use of assault weapons in crimes dropped by 66% and the number of murders caused by firearms dropped by 7%. Unfortunately, the legislation contained a sunset provision, with the ban expiring in 2004, and attempts to reenact the federal ban have failed; and
WHEREAS, In the absence of legislation from the federal government, seven states, including California, New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Connecticut, Hawaii and Maryland, attempted to stem the violence by enacting laws banning assault weapons. In addition, the District of Columbia and five large urban cities, including the City of Chicago, have enacted local laws banning such weapons; and
WHEREAS, Despite numerous attempts, the State of Illinois has never been able to muster the political will to enact an assault weapons ban, and a recent attempt in the lame-duck session ofthe General Assembly again failed to enact such a ban; and
WHEREAS, Even the United States Supreme Court has held that the Second Amendment's right to bear arms is subject to reasonable restrictions, including a prohibition on carrying "dangerous and unusual weapons"; and
WHEREAS, The effective regulation of assault weapons and high capacity magazines requires comprehensive legislation and action on the part of the federal, state and local government in order to protect our communities and prevent the further loss of innocent lives; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and Members of the City Council of the City of Chicago, assembled this seventeenth day of January, 2013, do hereby urge the United States Congress and the Illinois General Assembly to pass an assault weapons ban in order to protect our communities; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be sent to the President of the United States, Barack-" Obama, to the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, John Boehner, to the United States House of Representatives Minority Leader, Nancy Pelosi, to the United States Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid, to the United
States Senate Minority Leader, Mitch McConnell, to Governor Pat Quinn, to the President and