Ducking Mr. Drive-By

I'm as horrified as the next guy about drive-bys that kill the innocent, in whatever part of town they happen to be.

I'd get in line to protest gun violence,too, as long as the guns being protested are those in the hands of gang-bangers, drug dealers and anyone else using them for criminal purposes.

A Chicago priest is calling on Springfield to enact "tougher" gun laws. The Tribune's online edition doesn't spell out exactly what the good reverend wants those laws to say but I imagine it's more of the same kind of thing that we've heard from Rev JJ, Mayor Dick and the rest of the anti-gun crowd.

Here are some of the facts they never share with their audiences:

Illinois already has some of the toughest gun laws in the nation.

One cannot legally buy a firearm in this state without first obtaining a Firearm Owner Identification (FOID) card, which requires a background check. Another check is conducted at time of purchase and the buyer is then subject to a waiting period of 72 hours before a handgun can be delivered, 24 hours for a rifle or shotgun.

Illinois has no concealed weapons permit for civilians. We live in one of two states, Wisconsin being the other, that restricts concealed weapons to police officers.

Under Illinois law, a firearm cannot be carried in a vehicle unless it is unloaded, in a case and in the trunk.

Chicago, where the majority of gun crimes occur, has even stricter local ordinances regarding handguns.

Individuals wanting to legally purchase an automatic weapon can do so only after obtaining Federal certification from the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives. Such certification is a lengthy process, requires a local law-enforcement sign-off and is relatively expensive.

All of these laws are regularly disregarded by those who wantonly spray bullets into crowds and kill children and by every crook who carries a pistol in their belt and produces it to stick up a liguor store.

Crooks pay no attention to the statutes now on the books. Why would enacting more restrictive laws make us safer? Criminals buy illegal weapons. Their suppliers don't fill out forms or require FOID cards. The people who sell guns to gang-bangers don't warn them against carrying concealed.

Wake up!

Yes, certainly, Illinois could act to entirely ban civilian handgun ownership. To what purpose? The state legislature could ban all rifles and shotguns, too. Why? Who would it help?

Sure, calling for tougher laws about anything sounds . . . well . . . tough.

It's a feel-good, political solution without real-world substance and, like most political solutions, it helps only the politician.

Out on the street, meanwhile, folks still be duckin' Mr. Drive By.