The Chicago Tribune (registration required) reports that downstate and suburban legislators are taking on Chicago legislators in the gun control debate.
The Illinois Senate Friday approved legislation to allow retired police officers and former military police officers to carry concealed weapons, the latest example of a growing mood against gun control in the legislature despite the Democratic takeover of both chambers.
In addition to the concealed-carry measure, lawmakers in recent days have voted for bills that would lower the age to obtain a gun owner's permit without parental consent and allow a court to override enforcement of municipal handgun bans in cases where weapons are fired in self-defense.
Take note of how the sides are lining up.
Gov. Rod Blagojevich aggressively pushed for tougher gun-control measures when he served as a member of the U.S. House. But that stance caused him problems with Downstate voters in the Democratic governor's primary in 2002, and his advocacy for gun control has been far more muted since he has taken office.
Still, he pledged in a January interview with the Tribune to renew his efforts this spring.
He has yet to push any gun-control legislation of his own, however, and has so far been silent about whether he would approve the relaxation measures if they land on his desk. Aides said he needs more time to review the bills, which have won approval in different forms in the House and Senate.
. . .
The measure was passed 40-12, with most opposition coming from Chicago-area Democrats. One who backed the measure, however, was State Sen. Barack Obama (D-Chicago), the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate.
Obama, a liberal who is trying to broaden his appeal to Downstate voters for the Senate race, said he voted for the bill because law-enforcement officers may be "more vulnerable and need protection" and because they're experienced and trained in handling firearms.
"I don't think anybody thought that this was going to be somehow opening the door to the Wild West," Obama said.
My own quick theory is that city dwellers have a comparative disadvantage in gun use. Gun prohibitions that reduce the chance for self-defense push criminals out of city areas into areas that are now relatively less defended. As in this bit:
Sen. Iris Martinez (D-Chicago), a gun-control advocate, warned that people are becoming too "laid back about violence."
But Rep. Mike Bost (R-Murphysboro) said Downstate residents grow up around guns and so have learned to deal with them responsibly.
