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FinalCall.com News
National News
Anti-gun activists building momentum
By Ashahed M. Muhammad
Contributing Writer
Updated Jul 12, 2007 - 11:55:00 AM
Activists hold prayer vigil pushing for radical change of gun laws
FinalCall.com Exclusive Interview with Father Michael Fleger (FCN Windows Media Audio, 07/2007)
CHICAGO (FinalCall.com) - Just days after the 34th young person was gunned down here in a senseless act of gun violence, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, president of Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, and Father Michael Pfleger, pastor of the Faith Community of Saint Sabina Church, returned to a south suburban gun shop with other anti-gun activists June 30 for a prayer vigil and protest that called for stricter gun laws and increased vigilance of gun shops that are involved in what they believe is interstate arms trafficking.
Activists say the sheer numbers of guns being sold from Chuck’s Gun Shop, located in the Village of Riverdale, Ill., lax gun laws and the gun shop’s proximity to the city of Chicago makes it easy for “gang” members and other criminals to obtain firearms to use for crimes. This is why Chuck’s Gun Shop is “ground zero” for the activism and protests.
“We are not going to stop until legislation is passed in America to stop the guns that are in the streets,” said Father Pfleger. “I’m tired of hearing the quote, ‘Guns don’t kill people. People kill people.’ No! People with guns kill people! Stop the access and people can’t kill with guns!”
Many critics of the protests maintain that Chuck’s Gun Shop is a legal business and should not be targeted in this manner by anti-gun activists. This criticism rings hollow with Rev. Jackson and Father Pfleger.
“The fact that it is legal does not make it moral. Jim Crow was legal, but it was not moral. Denying women the right to vote was legal, but it was not moral. Denying workers the right to organize was legal, but not moral,” said Rev. Jackson.
Father Pfleger agreed, saying “Slavery was legal, it wasn’t moral. Apartheid was legal, it wasn’t moral. We have to have the understanding that laws have to be changed if they are wrong,” he added.
Protesters are advocating radical changes to the federal gun laws, including a complete ban on semi-automatic assault rifles, a limitation of the number of weapons that can be purchased in a 30-day period to one gun per month, and registration of guns similar to a car owner’s vehicle registration so that all weapons can be traced.
Citing statistics from the Americans For Gun Safety Foundation, Rev. Jackson mentioned that Chuck’s Gun Shop sold more guns in a four-year period (1996-2000) than any other gun shop in the United States, and more guns come from that store than any other weapons store in the country.
Citing her duty as mayor “to uphold the laws of the State of Illinois and the Village of Riverdale,” Mayor Zenovia G. Evans defended the right of the gun shops owner, John Riggio, to operate a legal business as long as he is not violating an laws.
Father Pfleger dismissed that argument stating that the legality of his operation is not the issue.
“We don’t know if he’s doing anything legal or not. What we do know is that in [the year] 2002, 500 guns recovered by the Chicago Police Department came from this store; in [the year] 2003, 346 guns recovered by the Chicago Police Department were traced back to this store. What we do know is that a study says that more guns are sold from this store than any other store in the country,” said Father Pfleger. “The issue is that you can by 100 guns in America at a store or a gun show and then sell them in the streets of Chicago. Chuck’s becomes a visual of the bigger problems all across this country.”
Father Pfleger mentioned that since began protesting at Chuck’s Gun Shop he still gets hate mail and email from National Rifle Association (NRA) members and supporters saying that he is against the 2nd Amendment and questioning his patriotism. Despite that, he continues on adding that during these threats, he has received support from the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan and others, such as the Mayor of Chicago, Richard Daley and Arne Duncan Chief Executive Officer of the Chicago Public School System. He also received tremendous support from the members of Saint Sabina.
During the prayer vigil, the gun shop was closed and the owner was unavailable for comment, however, some supporters of the 2nd Amendment were present.
According to Rev. Jackson, there are nine gun stores surrounding Chicago that will be targeted by activists over the next two months leading to a planned massive mobilization on Aug. 28 in which activists will simultaneously march on gun shops in 25 cities across the United States.
“We intend to choose life over death. We want to close down the merchant’s of death and save our children,” said Rev. Jackson “We must stop the interstate trafficking of guns and drugs. Change always comes bottom up, it never comes top down.” he added.
