03-31-2010, 03:30 PM
Why not give smoke N Gun access to serial number database to determine legal status before they purchase used weapons. I doubt they would purchase a stolen item on purpose.
City officials mull tougher gun-sale law
Background checks on firearms
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/newssun/news/2129650,5_1_WA30_GUNLAW_S1-100330.article">http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/news ... 30.article</a><!-- m -->
March 30, 2010
By DAN MORAN <!-- e --><a href="mailto:dmoran@stmedianetwork.com">dmoran@stmedianetwork.com</a><!-- e -->
City officials will await a U.S. Supreme Court decision on Chicago's handgun ban to see if they want to amend a local ordinance regarding background checks for the sale of firearms.
Waukegan's interest in the matter stems from the inadvertent resale last year of a gun later determined to have been stolen, which sparked discussion of a requirement for businesses to submit serial numbers for background checks before a firearm can be sold.
But the proposal stalled in February before the Judiciary Committee, and Corporation Counsel Newton Finn advised aldermen Monday to "hold this until that (court) decision comes down" sometime this summer.
"I think it would be very smart to see whether or not they're going to issue very specific instructions about what we can and cannot do," Finn said, referring to McDonald v. Chicago, which has completed oral arguments.
The Waukegan issue stems from the sale of a handgun at Smoke 'N Gun on Grand Avenue to McAlister Avenue resident Deleetre Tennort, who told the City Council in December that the gun was determined to have been stolen after he was cited for firing it to ward off a reported burglary.
The matter has been raised at several City Council meetings dating to last fall by Christopher "Brotha" Blanks of the National Action Network of Lake County, which protested outside Smoke 'N Gun in November. Both Blanks and Tennort have asked the council if any sanctions against the business were being considered.
After studying the matter, Finn told the council in February that "we do have ordinances that apply to gun dealers, but they only require a gun dealer to report to our police department when it sells or gives a gun, not when it buys a gun."
Finn then suggested an amendment to require that buyers provide a serial number to the Waukegan Police Department to check the history of the firearm's ownership.
Smoke 'N Gun Manager Mark Diaz said Monday that the Washington Street business is "very proactive when it comes to suspicious sales," noting that "as a matter of fact, we threw someone out today ... We don't want that business."
But Diaz added that there are practical limitations to background checks when it comes to buying firearms from the public for resale, especially older models.
"How would you report a weapon that legally doesn't have a serial number on it?" asked Diaz, pointing out that long guns were not required to have serial numbers prior to the federal Gun Control Act of 1968.
In the case of Tennort's purchase, Diaz said Smoke 'N Gun officials also did not know that the gun had been stolen, and the purchase was refunded.
Aldermen agreed Monday to table any action on local gun laws pending the McDonald decision. Finn noted that the Supreme Court ruled in District of Columbia v. Heller in 2008 that the Second Amendment represents a "fundamental right" for the public to keep and bear arms.
While the Heller ruling pertained to federal jurisdictions, the McDonald case centers on state and local laws.
City officials mull tougher gun-sale law
Background checks on firearms
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/newssun/news/2129650,5_1_WA30_GUNLAW_S1-100330.article">http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/news ... 30.article</a><!-- m -->
March 30, 2010
By DAN MORAN <!-- e --><a href="mailto:dmoran@stmedianetwork.com">dmoran@stmedianetwork.com</a><!-- e -->
City officials will await a U.S. Supreme Court decision on Chicago's handgun ban to see if they want to amend a local ordinance regarding background checks for the sale of firearms.
Waukegan's interest in the matter stems from the inadvertent resale last year of a gun later determined to have been stolen, which sparked discussion of a requirement for businesses to submit serial numbers for background checks before a firearm can be sold.
But the proposal stalled in February before the Judiciary Committee, and Corporation Counsel Newton Finn advised aldermen Monday to "hold this until that (court) decision comes down" sometime this summer.
"I think it would be very smart to see whether or not they're going to issue very specific instructions about what we can and cannot do," Finn said, referring to McDonald v. Chicago, which has completed oral arguments.
The Waukegan issue stems from the sale of a handgun at Smoke 'N Gun on Grand Avenue to McAlister Avenue resident Deleetre Tennort, who told the City Council in December that the gun was determined to have been stolen after he was cited for firing it to ward off a reported burglary.
The matter has been raised at several City Council meetings dating to last fall by Christopher "Brotha" Blanks of the National Action Network of Lake County, which protested outside Smoke 'N Gun in November. Both Blanks and Tennort have asked the council if any sanctions against the business were being considered.
After studying the matter, Finn told the council in February that "we do have ordinances that apply to gun dealers, but they only require a gun dealer to report to our police department when it sells or gives a gun, not when it buys a gun."
Finn then suggested an amendment to require that buyers provide a serial number to the Waukegan Police Department to check the history of the firearm's ownership.
Smoke 'N Gun Manager Mark Diaz said Monday that the Washington Street business is "very proactive when it comes to suspicious sales," noting that "as a matter of fact, we threw someone out today ... We don't want that business."
But Diaz added that there are practical limitations to background checks when it comes to buying firearms from the public for resale, especially older models.
"How would you report a weapon that legally doesn't have a serial number on it?" asked Diaz, pointing out that long guns were not required to have serial numbers prior to the federal Gun Control Act of 1968.
In the case of Tennort's purchase, Diaz said Smoke 'N Gun officials also did not know that the gun had been stolen, and the purchase was refunded.
Aldermen agreed Monday to table any action on local gun laws pending the McDonald decision. Finn noted that the Supreme Court ruled in District of Columbia v. Heller in 2008 that the Second Amendment represents a "fundamental right" for the public to keep and bear arms.
While the Heller ruling pertained to federal jurisdictions, the McDonald case centers on state and local laws.