It’s disappointing that State Rep. Bob Pritchard voted against House Bill 4393 on Wednesday. The bill would have limited handgun buyers in Illinois to one gun purchase per month. We understand that the passage of this bill wouldn’t have solved any longstanding problems regarding handgun violence, but it is a step in the right direction of diminishing the opportunities for gun violence to take place in Illinois.

Rep. Pritchard has a responsibility to act in the interest of his constituents in DeKalb County, but he also has a responsibility to act in the interest of preserving human life before constitutional rights. As there is not rampant handgun violence in DeKalb, this bill would likely most affect hunters and other recreational gun owners in the area.

These individuals must play into Pritchard’s decision, but how greatly would they be affected? Is it really that large an issue for someone to only buy one handgun per month? We don’t think so.
On another front, 22 Chicago Public School students have been killed since last September. Of those 22, 20 were shot to death. In the instances that were gang-related, it’s likely that a gun that was purchased legally was transferred to someone else illegally.

While this bill would not put an end to senseless shootings in our state, it would certainly limit the opportunities for such violence. More specifically, this bill would decrease the number of legally purchased handguns across the state each month that might, at some point, end up in the hands of those who intend to enact physical violence on other human beings.

Again, we know this bill is far from a solution to the problem of handgun violence, but it is a step. And there probably is no perfect solution, but that doesn’t mean small steps in the right direction shouldn’t be taken.

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