Publications & Sites 
State Senator surveys Northbrook, rest of district concerning gun safety
Updated: April 8, 2013 6:39AM
NORTHBROOK — Some Northbrook residents are applauding Illinois Senator Julie Morrison (D-29) for surveying her constituents about gun safety.
Lawmakers soon will face difficult choices about gun safety, including carrying concealed weapons, a proposed assault weapons ban, and increased mental health screenings, Morrison said.
The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Dec. 11 that the state must create a concealed carry law in the next 180 days.
Because of recent gun violence in public places and schools, should there be laws banning assault weapons and increasing background checks? she asked.
Should more money be invested in mental health care and monitoring access to weapons for those with mental health issues? Should more money be spent on security in schools?
Should all people be allowed to carry concealed weapons in public? Should gun owners be required to register their weapon? Morrison asked.
Susan Troester, a Northbrook attorney and mother, said she was very pleased that Morrison was addressing the issue.
The survey of Morrison’s constituents, like the Firearms Working Group created by Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon, to which Morrison was appointed in January, focuses on identifying a consensus between parties to improve the safety of the community through gun legislation, Troester said.
“Heightening the safety of our community is not a partisan issue. Morrison’s survey of her constituents, along with the bi-partisan effort encompassing both urban and rural communities, appropriately puts safety – and not politics – first,” she added.
“The conceal and carry issue we face in Illinois has not received the press or citizen attention it should. Within a few short months, people will likely be shopping at Sunset Foods, sitting next to families watching a baseball game at the Village Green, and walking on the streets of our town with a gun in their pocket or purse – legally!”
Troester believes there are only two ways to reduce the impact of the law’s change.
First, Attorney General Lisa Madigan should appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court the Seventh Circuit’s decision not to rehear the case declaring Illinois’s law against concealed guns unconstitutional, she said. Second, if Madigan refuses to appeal or the Court refuses to hear the case, everyone should contact lawmakers concerned about this issue, like Rep. Elaine Nekritz (D-57) and Senator Morrison, asking them to craft legislation limiting the right to carry a weapon to the greatest degree possible, she added.
Johanna Heble, also a Northbrook attorney and a mother, agreed with Troester, noting that it should not be easy to kill another human being.
“However in this country, in this state, with our current lack of background checks, the tremendous access to high capacity weapons and now the likely ability to carry a concealed weapon, it really isn’t difficult,” she added.
