Cook County (Illinois) slides a little further into decay

David Codrea (and others) got to this story well ahead of me, but since it's in my state (not that I'm happy to claim it), and since my old pal "Snuffy" Pfleger is involved, I feel kind of compelled to take a look at Cook County's latest outrage. Cook County (for those with the good fortune of living far enough away to be unaware) is the county in which Chicago festers in its combination of anti-gun tyranny and rampant violence (a combination that probably strikes many Chicago residents as incongruous, but is actually par for the course, and fairly predictable). By the way, the Reuters article in the link not only uses the wrong spelling of "reign" (for this usage, they mean "rein"), but apparently putting spaces between words was something the authors could only be bothered with when it suited them.

Anyway, it seems that Cook County Commissioner Larry Suffredin (author of Cook County's ban on so-called "assault weapons") has now decided to go after gun shops--shops that are not even accused of breaking any laws.

Citing the senseless loss of liferesulting from random gun violence, Cook County Commissioner Larry Suffredintook a giant step today toward reducing the number of handguns on the streetsof Chicago and Cook County by introducing an ordinance that would restrict thelocation where gun shops in suburban Cook County can operate.

(See what I mean about spaces between words?) Anyway, let's take a look at this "giant step," shall we? How would placing more restrictions on Cook County gun shops keep guns out of Cook County? Does anyone really believe that someone who wants a gun will decide to do without, simply because he can't get it without leaving the county? Anyone who does believe that, perhaps I could interest you in a great deal on a pair of breeding mules.

"I am tired of business as usual. I am tired of picking up the paper orturning on the news to see reports about innocent children gunned down in coldblood, because some gang member bought a gun at their local gun shop,"Suffredin said.

Letting slide, for the moment, Suffredin's rather . . . interesting assertion that gang members are buying many of their guns in gun shops, are we to understand that it's the fact that the guns are bought (according to Larry) at local gun shops that offends him? I guess now we know why he thinks getting the shops out of Cook will help--it's apparently not the fact that armed thugs are killing people that bothers him--it's the fact that they're acquiring the guns locally (again, according to Larry).

"For nearly thirty years, I have fought for sensible gunlaws. Whether it was against the NRA or legislative leaders, I fought to passlaws to keep guns off our streets."

And a marvelous job you've done, Larry--which is why Chicago is so admired as an oasis of peace and domestic tranquility.

Here are the particulars of the proposed ordinance.

The proposed ordinance would amend the Cook County Deadly Weapons DealerControl Ordinance and would:

-- Remove the exemptions for municipalities, like Riverdale, that passed

less restrictive ordinances in order to avoid the provisions of the

existing Weapons Ordinance;

-- Extend the restriction on gun shops within one mile of a school or park

to all municipalities within Cook County.

-- Increase the distance required between licensed weapons dealers from

five to ten miles

-- Ban gun shows completely in Cook County.

By the way, does Cook County even have gun shows (I honestly don't know)?

Father "Snuffy" will be especially pleased, I'm sure, that Chuck's Gun Shop's location within a mile of a school makes it one of the shops threatened by this latest attack on freedom (has anyone ever explained why a gun shop near a school is so terrifying--is there a lot of shooting near gun shops?). According to another article, along with Chuck's, three other gun shops (of the twenty or so in the county) are on the chopping block.

I'm fascinated by the provision of the ordinance that overrides municipal ordinances less strict than the proposed county ordinance. Every time statewide firearms preemption laws are discussed, the citizen disarmament zealots launch themselves into hysterics because local control is being usurped (interestingly, though--these same people seem very keen on the idea of restrictive federal gun legislation). Now, though, we see Cook County proposes to attack the local laws of municipalities like Riverdale (where Chuck's is located).

In talking about the resolutions supporting the Second Amendment (most recently here), that are sweeping the state, county by county (and I'm overdue for another update on that--maybe later today), I have mentioned Cook County's growing isolation from the rest of the state. Judging by Suffredin's proposal, maybe that's how Cook likes it (as long as downstate taxpayers continue sending tribute up north).

UPDATE: More at Days of Our Trailers