East St. Louis police chief: Gun registration, punitive fees are 'great idea'

St. Louis Gun Rights Examiner

Early this month, we discussed Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s proposal to inflict a draconian new “gun control” law–not just in Chicago, but upon the entire state. Since then, Emanuel’s handgun registration scheme has been introduced as HB 5831. This bill would, among other atrocities, mandate registration of every handgun, with a $65 fee (for each handgun), to be renewed every five years (renewal fee: $25). Possession of an unregistered handgun would be a felony, imposing prison time, and lifetime status as a “prohibited person” upon release from prison.

CBS St. Louis tells us what the chief of the East St. Louis, Illinois police thinks of the plan:

What does the chief of police in East St. Louis think of the Chicago mayor’s idea to cut down on illegal gun trading in Illinois by creating a $65 per year fee for handgun registry?

KMOX News asked Michael Floore, and here’s what he said, ” I think it’s a great idea. Maybe it will help us cut down on crime.”

It’s a “great idea,” to impose new restrictions and expenses on those of us who are not shooting people, because “maybe it will help [them] cut down on crime.”

Mayor Alvin Parks agrees with Floore, and wants to go to Sprinfield to lobby for the bill. This is no surprise. Several years ago, Parks told East St. Louisans understably concerned about the high rate of violent crime there that they had no right to carry a defensive firearm:

Parks gave a reminder that Illinois does not allow concealed carrying of guns.

“You have the right to bear arms, but you have the right to bear them within your home, not on the streets, not in your cars, not inside stores,” Parks said.

More recently, Parks told residents angry about slow (or non-existent) police response that the city was “investigating” the complaints (which the police had blamed on a “computer glitch”), and that “they have a plan to curb crime in that area.” I guess that plan didn’t work out too well, judging by the fact that the police chief is willing to impose new restrictions and fees on the entire state for what will “maybe” help reduce crime.

Since then, we’ve seen times when nearly the entire police force of the city called in “sick,” because of impending layoffs, and that the city had come close to hiring a convicted felon as police chief.

Given all that, it gets harder and harder to avoid the conclusion that what East St. Louis needs is not oppressive new gun laws inflicted on the rest of the state, but to clean up its own violent, criminal mess.

Update: National Gun Rights Examiner David Codrea reminds us of another instance of the East St. Louis Police covering themselves in glory.