City Council Delays Assault Weapon Ordinance

By Daniel I. Dorfman

The Evanston City Council deferred Monday on whether to introduce an ordinance that would ban “possession, transfer, sale or display of assault weapons in the city of Evanston.” 

The measure is now scheduled to be discussed at a special City Council meeting on July 15.

The issue was punted because Fourth Ward Alderman Donald Wilson was concerned about the language in the existing proposal.

The ordinance presented to the council Monday read “Amends Title 9, Chapter 8 of the Evanston City Code of 2012 to specifically ban the possession, transfer, sale or display of assault weapons in the City of Evanston.” 

 “What we have are primarily a list of cosmetic features that might make a gun look scary,” Wilson said. “What we don’t have is identification of the functional aspects of the weapon that makes it dangerous.”

He added there was nothing in the ban that prohibits high capacity weapons.

“If we were to pass this ordinance you can still have a gun that holds as many bullets as somebody wants it to hold,” Wilson added. “I don’t think that that is what we are intending to do.”

Wilson called on the city legal staff to work on the language of the ordinance to ban high capacity magazines, armor piercing bullets and some other non-hunting rifles.

“I do think we do need to do something to address this threat, but what we have at the table does not accomplish the goal,” Wilson said.

The debate within the council came after fiery rhetoric on both sides with speakers from in and out of Evanston pleading their case on the heated gun issue.

Alderman Ann Rainey, who served as Mayor Pro Tem Monday instead of Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl, agreed with Wilson there needed to be local changes. 

“I’d like to ban every weapon in the whole world, but that is not going to happen,” Rainey said. “I am interested in making sure this is a very inclusive ordinance.”

The debate on assault weapons has occurred throughout Illinois communities amid proposed “conceal carry” legislation circling Springfield. One of the provisions in the most recent version of the conceal and carry bill would give communities such as Evanston ten days after the law is signed to pass ordinances on assault weapon ownership.

However, City Attorney Grant Farrar informed aldermen that they would have the right to amend an assault weapons ordinance after it is passed.

Last week Gov. Pat Quinn amendedly vetoed a conceal and carry bill to alter several provisions in the legislation. The entire Illinois legislature, both the house and the senate, is meeting Tuesday to vote on the issue.