(IL) Senate Overrides Veto of Self-Defese Bill 11-13-04

Illinois Senate Overrides Veto of Self-Defense Bill
Address:http://www.cnsnews.com//ViewCulture.asp?Page=\Culture\archive\200411\CUL20041112a.html

November 13, 2004
By Susan Jones
CNSNews.com Morning Editor

(CNSNews.com) – Second Amendment supporters are pleased that the
Illinois State Senate has voted 40-18 to override the governor’s veto of
a self-defense bill.

The bill, SB 2161, would exempt citizens from prosecution under local
gun ordinances, in cases where they use a firearm to defend themselves
or their families.

The bill was inspired by the case of Hale DeMar, a Wilmette resident
charged with violating a Wilmette handgun ban after he shot and wounded
a man who broke into his house.

The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) is
applauding the Illinois Senate for overriding Democrat Gov. Rod
Blagojevich’s veto, and it is urging the House to quickly follow suit.

“Forty Illinois state senators have shown very good sense in voting to
override the governor’s veto,” said CCRKBA Executive Director Joe
Waldron. “It is simply abhorrent to the American way of life to penalize
someone for defending himself and his home against a criminal.

“In the case of Mr. DeMar, the man he shot had burglarized his home two
nights in a row.
Wilmette’s foolish handgun ban didn’t stop that thug from entering the
DeMar home.”

Waldron noted that Wilmette is one of several communities in Illinois to
enact handgun bans — which “haven’t stopped a single crime.”

Said Waldron, “The pendulum needs to swing back from the philosophical
Twilight Zone, where small-minded politicians pass laws that effectively
prevent honest citizens from legally defending themselves.

“Illinois residents deserve protection from stupid local ordinances that
essentially make them criminals for defending themselves,” he added.

CCRKBA wants Illinois lawmakers to go a step beyond a veto, by passing a
state law that erases Wilmette-type gun bans – and allows law-abiding
citizens to carry concealed handguns.