Evanston aldermen motioned to delay a vote on an amended handgun law after several advocates from pro-gun control groups spoke before the council, asking that the council wait to make a decision until more amendments to the law were considered.
After a recent US Supreme Court decision, District of Columbia v. Heller, ruled D.C.'s handgun ban unconstitutional, the NRA sued municipalities around the country, including Chicago, Morton Grove, Oak Park and Evanston, that had similar bans on the private possession of operative handguns. In order to avoid the costs of a lawsuit that some Aldermen viewed as unwinnable, the council voted unanimously to repeal the city's 27-year-old ban. Although the council was scheduled to vote on a new, revised ordinance, Alderman Lionel Jean-Baptiste (2nd) called for more time for discussion when it came time to vote.
This delay followed impassioned testimony by three pro-gun control advocates, two of whom had a personal connection with gun violence.
Jeanne Bishop, Medill '81, who was accompanied by her sister Jennifer, told the council of the story of her sister, Nancy Bishop, who was murdered, along with her husband and unborn child, in their home in Winnetka in 1990. The perpetrator was a local teenager who got a hold of his lawyer's handgun, Jeanne Bishop said. "(The teenager) got a hold of a legally owned handgun in an unlocked drawer and a few days later, my family members were dead. We can't simply repeal this ordinance and not have in place very tough restrictions," she said.
Jeanne and Jennifer Bishop have both devoted their lives in the aftermath of their sisters' murder to advocating for restrictive gun ownership laws and helping victims of gun violence. Jeanne is the head of the North Suburban Chicagoland Chapter of the Million Mom March, a non-profit organization devoted to preventing gun deaths and injuries, and Jennifer is the national program director for victims and survivors for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. Jennifer Bishop pointed out that the council has a record of supporting victims of gun violence.
2008 Woodie Awards
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Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 27
EVANSTON GUN OWNER
posted 7/31/08 @ 10:02 AM CST
I'M SO TIRED OF HEARING THE BIASED MEDIA REPORTS FROM ANTI GUN PEOPLE. GUN OWNERSHIP IS AN AMERICAN RIGHT PLAIN AND SIMPLE. IF YOU WISH TO DISARM LAW ABIDING CITIZENS RENDERING THEM HELPLESS FROM CRIMINAL HOME INVADERS THEN YOU'RE BASICALLY ESPOUSING COMMUNIST AND FACIST REGIME PHILOSOPHY. (Continued…)
fsilber
posted 7/31/08 @ 12:10 PM CST
When the teenager entered Nancy Bishop's home in 1990 with a gun and murdered them, why didn't one of them shoot him first? If they couldn't have a gun at hand, whose fault was _that_?
setaf
posted 7/31/08 @ 12:32 PM CST
Though I feel sorry for the loss mentioned in the article. I am also sick and tired of people trying to legislate us to death with laws that only the "good" people will obey. (Continued…)
Marty
posted 7/31/08 @ 1:54 PM CST
I too feel sorry for those who lost loved ones to violent crime. However, the ban was evidently in effect when this crime was committed. The murderer simply didn't care about restrictive gun ordinances. (Continued…)
our right
posted 7/31/08 @ 2:32 PM CST
Well lets see if they had a right to own and carry a handgun they could have protected themselves. I feel for them but the politicians are to blame.
DonP.
posted 7/31/08 @ 4:14 PM CST
Get ready for some hefty legal bills Evanston residents.
Ms. Bishop's sister was tragically killed by a criminal who somehow managed to have a gun in a gun free home in a gun free suburb in a state with the tightest control over guns and gun owners. (Continued…)
Bill T
posted 7/31/08 @ 4:41 PM CST
The continued litigation against the Second Amendment will only enrich the legal proffession.
Those who try to defeat the Heller ruling ,in my opinion, do not honor there oath of office TO UPHOLD THE CONSTITUTION. (Continued…)
AK
posted 7/31/08 @ 5:32 PM CST
Gee...I wonder if Ms Bishop's family had been killed by a drunk driver, would she join the Womens Christian Temperance Union and picket/advocate closure of local liquor stores?
Of course not. (Continued…)
Jack Burton
posted 7/31/08 @ 9:33 PM CST
An Open Letter of Apology to the Good Folk of Illinois From a Hoosier
http://hubpages.com/hub/An-Open-Letter-of-Apology-to-the-Good-Folk-of-Illinois-From-a-Hoosier
LM
posted 7/31/08 @ 9:44 PM CST
The US government estimates 1.5 million to 2.5 million "just" defense with firearms. These reports are rarely made in the mass media. www.keepandbeararms. (Continued…)
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