Daley Back In Town, Talks Gun Control
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Mayor Richard M. Daley is back in town and on his regular public schedule, for the first time Chicago elected Rahm Emanuel as his replacement.
As CBS 2's Susanna Song reports, the mayor and U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) appeared at an event on fighting gun crime in the city ant at the Homan Square Police Warehouse, 3340 W. Fillmore St.
They were accompanied by family members who had lost loved ones to gun violence, as they called for federal legislation that would require anyone who buys a gun to go through a thorough background check.
The event was part of a four-day tour around Illinois. The speeches are accompanied by a signboard truck reading, "34 Americans are murdered with guns every day."
Mayor Daley, a longtime ardent supporter of gun control, says he is particularly worried about a pending new law in Springfield.
"In Springfield, our state is at risk of taking enormous steps backward in the fight against illegal guns. Last week in Springfield, a House committee voted to eliminate the rights of Illinois cities to regulate guns. The vote was 13-1," Daley said. "This bill would basically invalidate the City of Chicago's new handgun ordinance that we put into place last year, after the Supreme Court said we could no longer ban handguns."
Last year, the handgun bans in Chicago and Oak Park were rendered unenforceable by the U.S. Supreme Court in the ruling on the case McDonald v. Chicago. The City Council quickly passed the new ordinance to replace the gun ban, which ordinance limits gun purchases to one per month, bans gun shops in city limits and prohibits gun owners from stepping outside their homes, even onto their porches or garages.
Also at the news conference, Quigley praised the mayor for all of his work as a public servant, particularly in the realm of gun control.
"We all owe an extraordinary debt of gratitude to Mayor Daley for his years of service on all issues, but particularly those as State's Attorney and as mayor of the City of Chicago, where his really national efforts to move toward reasonable gun control have protected citizens across our country, so thank you, Mr. Mayor," Quigley said.
Daley was also expected to address Emanuel's election last week in a chat with reporters after the news conference.
Daley had breakfast with Emanuel on Monday to discuss the transition, according to Emanuel's office.
