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Outrage Of The Week

Friday, May 23, 2008

Breaking the law?  No problem, just write a new one!  This week's outrage comes to us courtesy of Chicago alderman Richard Mell (D-33).  It seems the gun-owning alderman found himself afoul of a registration law that he himself helped pass. 

The ordinance requires law-abiding gun owners to register their firearms every year.  The only problem for Mell is, he forgot to re-register.  So he decided to do what any red-blooded, gun-registering politician would do; he wrote a new law that would provide him amnesty, and allow him an opportunity to re-register his guns.  Talk about the privileged few looking out for themselves.  Not only does he place himself above the law, he apparently sees nothing wrong with creating a new law if it better suits his personal circumstances! 

Anti-gun Chicago Mayor Richard Daley (D) has come out in absolute support of the proposed measure, ostensibly to determine the number of guns in Chicago.  His endorsement of the proposal has raised the ire of Fraternal Order of Police President Mark Donahue who, in a May 21, Chicago Sun-Times article, decried Daley's "double standard" in endorsing the temporary re-opening of gun registration in Chicago. 

"We have retired police officers who have a right to carry concealed weapons across the country, and they're being barred from registering their weapons in Chicago.  We've taken one of these cases to Circuit Court.  Dick Mell has taken his case to the City Council," the union president said. 

"Whether he knows it or not, the mayor, by this agreement [to endorse a temporary gun amnesty] is establishing a double standard.  One for members of the City Council, the other for everybody else." 

Incidentally, Mell is the father-in-law of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich (D). 

Alderman Mell's blatantly self-serving manipulation of the law is simply outrageous. 

If you see something that you feel would be a good candidate for the "Outrage of the Week!" section, please send it to:  [email protected].  Please be sure to send additional background and citations where available.
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