Illinois Governor Pat Quinn is suggesting a plan to make people register handguns with the state is NOT one of his gun control priorities.
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is pushing for the statewide handgun registry.He says that would make it easier for police to track down the owners of guns that are used in crimes. But Quinn suggests other gun policies might be easier to pass through the state legislature. Quinn says the gun show loophole needs to be closed and the state needs to something about assault weapons that are used on the street by gangs and other criminals to harm people.
Emanuel's push for a handgun registry could run into opposition from downstate lawmakers. Southern Illinois State Representative John Bradley says Emanuel is meddling in the lives of law-abiding gun owners in an attempt to draw attention away from Chicago's law enforcement failures. The Marion Democrat says he questions why the city that has the strictest gun laws in the state also has most of the gun crime in the state. Bradley says Chicago officials ought to get behind conceal and carry.
