Mayor exploits police officer's murder

Once again Chicago's Sixth Ward was rocked by another violent shooting. This time a police officer, Thomas Wortham, was murdered near his parent's Chatham neighborhood home by thugs who wanted to steal his motorcycle.

Wortham and his father exchanged gun fire that hit two of these thugs one of them fatally. The next day Mayor Daley held a press conference to discuss Chicago's gun ban:

Often when Mayor Daley makes the case for what he calls "common sense gun laws," he stands before a table full of guns seized by Chicago Police.

The show-and-tell was the same today, when Daley was asked how effective Chicago's strictest-in-the-nation handgun ban can possibly be when the city's homicide rate is rising and an off-duty Chicago Police officer was gunned down during an attempted robbery.

The mayor picked up a rifle from the table and sarcastically told the Chicago Reader reporter, "If I put this up your butt, you'll find out how effective it is. If we put a round up your, you-know. . . .[Confiscating] this gun saved many lives. It could save your life."

Asked about the mayor's remark later, mayoral press secretary Jacquelyn Heard said Daley was somewhat exasperated because "the person asking the question was missing the point that unrestricted guns are a devastating issue" for Chicago.

"To illustrate the point, he offered what admittedly could be considered a less than ideal example, but it's one that is a stark reminder of how destructive gun violence has been."

That Chicago Reader reporter was Mick Dumke who wrote about this experience over at Clout City:

Mayor Daley wants to make one thing clear: it's my fault that he lost his cool yesterday and offered to sodomize and shoot me for asking a question about violence in the city.

A little while ago the mayor told reporters that he was merely trying to teach a lesson to me and the rest of the press corps about how dangerous guns are, since it was clear from my question that we don't get it. “I want to shock you, maybe scare you to realize, this is serious," he said. "I want you to be as passionate as I am."

Yesterday mayoral press secretary Jackie Heard put it more coherently, as she always does: "The person asking the question was missing the point that unrestricted guns are a devastating issue."

Actually, they're missing the point, and they're of course doing it on purpose. They want to miss the point. You don't have to fire a gun to shoot the messenger.

The point is that there's a critical discussion that needs to take place around here about gun control, violence, an understaffed police force, neglected neighborhoods, chronic joblessness, the war on drugs, failing schools, and the priorities of public officials. But Mayor Daley has shown no signs of being interested in it. He's decided what needs to happen, and we're either with him or against him.

There's no better illustration of his intolerance for debate, dissent, and transparency than his decision to hold a gun up and joke about shooting a journalist.

Even a blogger at Red County got into the act of talking about this Mayoral press conference:

Daley went on to say it would be behoove those who want guns removed from the hands of the people if the justices of the United States were threatened with gun violence.

"Maybe they'll see the light of day," Daley said. "Maybe one of them will have an incident, and they'll change their mind overnight, going to and from work."

It’s an ironic statement calling for gun violence to end gun violence.

It is apparent Daley does not believe citizens can be responsible gun owners. Last month during a gun turn-in program Daley said there are too many guns in society.

"When someone has access to a gun, they use it," he said.

What the mayor fails to acknowledge is most of the firearms used in crimes are not obtained legally.

Finally John Kass at the Tribune says the Mayor only embarrased himself by this display:

A reporter asked the obvious question: Given the numbers of shootings in the city, isn't the handgun ban ineffective?

The question was more than fair. In Chicago, the only people who are confident in their 2nd Amendment rights to bear arms are the criminals, the cops and the politicians.

Law-abiding citizens can't own handguns. They don't have an army of bodyguards, as does Daley. Political hacks have guns. They get out the vote for his machine.

And the retired neighbor who's never been arrested in his life? Oh, no. If he has a gun, it would be anarchy in the streets, according to Daley.

Confronted with a logical question, here's what the mayor did: He picked up a rifle from the prop table of guns, raised it and began to babble.

"It's been very effective," said Daley of the handgun ban. "If I put this up your butt, you'll find out how effective it is. Let me put a round up your, you know."

The mayor of Chicago then went on to say if the justices were attacked by thugs with guns, they'd see things his way.

"Maybe they'll see the light of day," Daley said. "Maybe one of them will have an incident, and they'll change their mind overnight, going to and from work."

Chicago politics is a rough business. But suggesting that Supreme Court justices need to suffer before becoming enlightened is despicable. It not only embarrasses the mayor, but everyone who lives or works in Chicago.

While I hope that this gun ban is overturned since I believe I should be allowed to own a gun to protect myself and my property. Also it isn't unreasonable if the gun ban was overturned that the city could require gun owners to buy liability or to receive training. I believe that getting some gun training is perfectly reasonable.

Unfortunately Daley isn't the only one who believes that everyday citizens who owns guns are dangerous. Now Daley's comments at that press conference on Thursday was directed towards the US Supreme Court. So I do hope there will be another discussion whenever the Supreme Court arrives at their ruling.

Crossposted @ Mechanics!