Suffredin gun-shop-zoning ordinance - letter to board members

[GarandFan]

I've taken a stab at a copy-and-paste letter that can be sent to Cook County board members regarding Larry Suffredin's new proposal to amend the deadly weapons dealers ordinance with zoning that would push more legitimate gun stores out of the county. Please feel free to modify this letter as you please.

 

Any and all interested parties should take time to call, snail-mail, or email the Cook county board regarding this issue. Suffredin claims to have the votes to pass it, but these people need to hear from legitimate gun owners on this matter! Let's make sure they get the message LOUD and CLEAR:

 

1) Gun bans don't reduce crime

2) Criminals don't follow the law

3) Guns are legitimate tools

4) Gun ownership is our RIGHT

5) We are tired of being stomped on, and we are SICK and DAMNED tired of being stomped on for no GOOD reason!!!

 

You can find contact information for the board memebers here and here.

 

Edited to add two missing email addresses:

Robert Maldonado rmaldonado@cookcountygov.com

Timothy O. Schneider toschneider@cookcountygov.com

 

________________________________________________

 

 

[Date]

 

Dear Commissioner [Last Name]:

 

It has come to my attention that Larry Suffredin soon plans to introduce an amendment intended to "zone" legitimate businesses (e.g. gun shops) out of the county. Suffredin's press release, available here (http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS52166+29-Nov-2007+PRN20071129) once again cites "random gun violence" as justification to "reign" [sic] in gun shops. He cited the same justification for the expanded ban on semi-automatic firearms that your board passed in November of last year...in spite of the fact that no one has been prosecuted for violating this "assault weapon" ban during a 14-year period, and in spite of the fact that the Dept. of Justice found no crime reduction due to a similar Federal measure. Now, almost predictably, he is preparing to have you consider yet another gun control measure.

 

I realize that violence committed by criminals using guns is a serious issue, but it's an issue limited largely to particular neighborhoods in Chicago. Chicago has no gun stores and strict gun prohibitions, but yet criminals who disobey the law still acquire guns. In truth, these bans actually create black market demand, drawing even more guns into the city. Firearms are sometimes used by criminals, that is true. But firearms are foremost a legitimate tool of self defense for law-abiding people. People of Cook County have the right to own firearms for lawful purposes, and are guaranteed that right by the US and State constitutions. Thus, gun bans are very controversial measures that scrutinize concerns about public safety against concerns of people's rights. Suffredin will undoubtedly tell you that closing some gun stores will make it harder for criminals to get guns. This, he will say, will mean that fewer criminals will have guns, and thus, that his measure will serve to reduce crime. Please consider alternative thinking, such as the study by Kates and Mauser (2006) published in the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy, available here (http://www.law.harvard.edu/students/orgs/jlpp/Vol30_No2_KatesMauseronline.pdf). This is serious, scholarly work, and they conclude that there is simply no relationship between murder/suicide and the extent of firearm ownership. However, other factors certainly DO correlate with violent crime rates.

 

While Kates and Mauser (2006) roundly refute of Mr. Suffredin's claim that gun violence is random (pp. 660-661), we need go no further than Chicago's own Annual Crime Reports. Over the last 5 years, 93% of murderers in Chicago also had prior arrest records! This means that those who murder are almost always known to the police as law-breakers; there is nothing random about crimes committed by people with prior criminal histories, a small, notorious part of our community. Among these few, recidivism rates are very high, yet conviction and incarceration rates of these criminals is far too low in Chicago and Cook. It is assured that conviction and incarceration of violent offenders will reduce violence in the county, and at the same time, will reduce crime without trampling important, guaranteed rights of the law-abiding citizens that you serve; citizens who vote, pay taxes, and own homes they are responsible to keep safe.

 

Please consider all these facts and the bigger issue here - that of crime, law, and lawlessness. Consider that Mr. Suffredin's measure will not reduce crime, but is certain to negatively affect citizens who follow the law. I urge you to oppose Mr. Suffredin's newest assault on the rights of your law-abiding constituents.

 

Please contact me should you have any questions or concerns.

 

Sincerely,

 

[Your Name]

[Your City], IL

[Ashdump]

Very nice, GF. The hard thing to do is to get these "people" to actually read and think it through. Folks in that part of the state seem to have a problem with reason and logic.

[mack69]

I sent emails off to them all...except suffredin, should I send him one as well?

[GarandFan]

I sent emails off to them all...except suffredin, should I send him one as well?

 

Great work, Mack...and heck yes, especially him.

 

NOTE: Post #1 above edited to add the two missing email addresses:

 

Robert Maldonado rmaldonado@cookcountygov.com

Timothy O. Schneider toschneider@cookcountygov.com

 

 

______________________________________________

 

Dear Commissioner Suffredin:

 

It has come to my attention that you soon plan to introduce an amendment intended to "zone" legitimate businesses (e.g. gun shops) out of the county. Your press release, available here (http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS52166+29-Nov-2007+PRN20071129) once again cites "random gun violence" as justification to "reign" [sic] in gun shops. You cited the same justification for the expanded ban on semi-automatic firearms that you introduced and passed in November of last year...in spite of the fact that no one has been prosecuted for violating this "assault weapon" ban during a 14-year period, and in spite of the fact that the Dept. of Justice found no crime reduction due to a similar Federal measure. Now, almost predictably, you are preparing to introduce yet another gun control measure.

 

I realize that violence committed by criminals using guns is a serious issue, but it's an issue limited largely to particular neighborhoods in Chicago. Chicago has no gun stores and strict gun prohibitions, but yet criminals who disobey the law still acquire guns. In truth, these bans actually create black market demand, drawing even more guns into the city. Firearms are sometimes used by criminals, that is true. But firearms are foremost a legitimate tool of self defense for law-abiding people. People of Cook County have the right to own firearms for lawful purposes, and are guaranteed that right by the US and State constitutions. Thus, gun bans are very controversial measures that scrutinize concerns about public safety against concerns of people's rights. You will undoubtedly tell the Cook board that closing some gun stores will make it harder for criminals to get guns. This, you will probably say, will mean that fewer criminals will have guns, and thus, that the measure will serve to reduce crime. Please consider, just for a minute, some alternative thinking, such as the study by Kates and Mauser (2006) published in the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy, available here (http://www.law.harvard.edu/students/orgs/jlpp/Vol30_No2_KatesMauseronline.pdf). This is serious, scholarly work, and they conclude that there is simply no relationship between murder/suicide and the extent of firearm ownership. However, other factors certainly DO correlate with violent crime rates.

 

While Kates and Mauser (2006) roundly refute your claim that gun violence is random (pp. 660-661), you need go no further than Chicago's own Annual Crime Reports. Over the last 5 years, 93% of murderers in Chicago also had prior arrest records! This means that those who murder are almost always known to the police as law-breakers; there is nothing random about crimes committed by people with prior criminal histories, a small, notorious part of our community. Among these few, recidivism rates are very high, yet conviction and incarceration rates of these criminals is far too low in Chicago and Cook. It is assured that conviction and incarceration of violent offenders will reduce violence in the county, and at the same time, will reduce crime without trampling important, guaranteed rights of the law-abiding citizens that you serve; citizens who vote, pay taxes, and own homes they are responsible to keep safe.

 

Please consider all these facts and the bigger issue here - that of crime, law, and lawlessness. Consider that your measure is nearly guaranteed NOT to reduce crime, but is certain to negatively affect citizens who follow the law. I urge you to reconsider the introduction of your newest assault on the rights of your law-abiding constituents.

 

Please contact me should you have any questions or concerns.

 

Sincerely,

[Suburbangunslinger]

Guys we need to focus ALL efforts here in Crook County. Gun-owners have an edge that the grabbers do NOT have, we have creativity and imagination. Now keep calling the board members, keep calling them up, call them EVERY day as a matter of fact, that is how we can keep the pressure up (for now.) I need everyone to start brainstorming and once we've got an idea we'll take it from there...

[Suburbangunslinger]

Hey since the majority of people are spending countless hours online within Crook (at least from my own personal observations) why not start a podcast? If we did a podcast, teens would download the message to their Ipod, adults would listen to it on their computer. Just a starting point. Keep moving forward!

[Ashdump]

Hey since the majority of people are spending countless hours online within Crook (at least from my own personal observations) why not start a podcast? If we did a podcast, teens would download the message to their Ipod, adults would listen to it on their computer. Just a starting point. Keep moving forward!

 

 

Good idea! I am not computer smart enough to know anything about it, but reaching people is what we need to do!

[Johnnybgood]

Sounds like a good idea to me too. I also have no idea how to do that. However while we should concentrate on Chicago/Crook county, we should let downstater be aware of the downloads too. It might help to get more of the gun owners who don't generally get involved to get involved.

[mack69]

I received a response from Commissioner Peter Silvestri this afternoon it reads as follows:

 

Thank you for your informative email regarding the proposed legislation regarding gun shops. In addition to many of the points you raised, I am concerned about the pre-emption of local municipal control on this zoning issue. The ordinance proposes to pre-empt local home rule ordinances unless those ordinances are more restrictive than the county ordinance as proposed. Inasmuch, I am, at this time, opposed to the proposal.

 

Commissioner Peter Silvestri

[45superman]

I received a response from Commissioner Peter Silvestri this afternoon it reads as follows:

 

Thank you for your informative email regarding the proposed legislation regarding gun shops. In addition to many of the points you raised, I am concerned about the pre-emption of local municipal control on this zoning issue. The ordinance proposes to pre-empt local home rule ordinances unless those ordinances are more restrictive than the county ordinance as proposed. Inasmuch, I am, at this time, opposed to the proposal.

 

Commissioner Peter Silvestri

Good news--and a bit surprising, considering the fact that he voted "Yes" on the expanded ban on "assault weapons."

[GarandFan]

I received a response from Commissioner Peter Silvestri this afternoon it reads as follows:

 

Thank you for your informative email regarding the proposed legislation regarding gun shops. In addition to many of the points you raised, I am concerned about the pre-emption of local municipal control on this zoning issue. The ordinance proposes to pre-empt local home rule ordinances unless those ordinances are more restrictive than the county ordinance as proposed. Inasmuch, I am, at this time, opposed to the proposal.

 

Commissioner Peter Silvestri

 

Here is the response I received as well....they are similar, but not verbatim...which means to me that each of these responses were individual (not a "form" response). Yes, it's promising...he might not oppose the measure on its face, but does oppose it on the problems it has regarding home rule....

 

Thank you for your informative email regarding the proposed legislation. In addition to the points you raised, I am concerned that this matter is preempts local ordinances at the municipal level unless the municipal ordinance is more restrictive. I believe zoning issues are best left to the local municipal government- the level of government closest to the people! Inasmuch, I am generally opposed to this legislation in its current form.

[Suburbangunslinger]

Keep the calls coming people, keep the pressure up!

[anonymous too]

These people I would pretty much say understand this is an illegal zoning issue.

 

Find out who sits on the county zoning board and send them emails/letters too.

[45superman]

Find out who sits on the county zoning board and send them emails/letters too.

I think that's an idea with some promise.

[GarandFan]

Bump for priority.

[mack69]

Bump again

[tplane37]

I modified the letter slightly for a more "universal" appearance. I sent it to the following (everyone I sent the other letter to concerning the latest Ordinance):

 

cookcountyboard@cookcountygov.com;rsteele@cookcountygov.com;jbutler@cookcountygo

v.com;jpmurphy@cookcountygov.com;

rmaldonado@cookcountygov.com;cookcty9@aol.com;CommQuigley@aol.com;jdaley@cookcou

ntygov.com;commissioner@forrestclaypool.com;

lsuffredin@cookcountygov.com;commissionergoslin@cookcountygov.com;toschneider@co

okcountygov.com;ajperaica@cookcountygov.com;

eadgorman@cookcountygov.com;comments@cookcountyboardofreview.com;dorr@cookcounty

gov.com;sheriff@cookcountysheriff.com;

stateattorney@cookcountygov.com;wbeavers@cookcountygov.com;dsims@cookcountygov.c

om;jmoreno@cookcountygov.com;

fclaypool@cookcountygov.com;ecollins@cookcountygov.com;tjanes@suffredin.org;suff

redin@suffredin.org;eoneill@suffredin.org;

hhanover@suffredin.org;mgwinn@suffredin.org;kchavers@suffredin.org;lsuffredin@co

okcountygov.com;