Friday, October 27, 2017

Illinois House rejects ban on 'bump stocks' in vote split along rural and urban lines, not party

In the wake of the deadly shooting in Las Vegas, politicians of both parties seemed interested in banning bump stocks, an accessory used by the shooter to make a semi-automatic weapon fire as rapidly as a fully automatic weapon. But the Illinois House rejected a ban on bump stocks Oct. 26, mainly due to votes from rural Democrats.

"State Rep. Martin Moylan's prohibition on 'trigger modifications' got only 48 of the 71 votes it would have needed to pass. Fifty-four members of the Democratic-controlled House voted against it," John O'Connor reports for The Associated Press. "Moylan's bill defined trigger modification as any after-market alteration 'intended to accelerate the rate of fire of a firearm,' which critics complained is virtually universal" and would hurt sports shooting, O'Connor reports.

O'Connor's story supports the theory that America's growing political divide is not just Democrats vs. Republicans, but also urban vs. rural.

No comments: