River Forest trustees unanimously went on the record Monday night in support of federal legislation requiring universal background checks for all gun sales, nationwide.
By a 5-0 vote, with one absent, trustees adopted a resolution that reflects the will of River Forest voters who overwhelmingly approved a Cook County non-binding referendum to that effect in 2014.
Such measures are intended to put pressure on federal lawmakers who have failed at least twice since the Sandy Hook massacre in 2012 to adopt meaningful gun regulation measures, including universal background checks.Â
The resolution trustees adopted will be part of an effort advocates hope will continue to build momentum on the issue.
River Forest spoke loudly for universal background checks, voting 86 percent in favor of the referendum, Trustee Tom Cargie said.
“It’s an opportunity to enact something our residents are demanding,” said Cargie, one of two board members who urged the item be placed on the agenda for discussion and adoption. The other board member, Roma Colwell-Steinke, was in Iceland.
A group of Oak Park and River Forest residents, Gun Responsibility Advocates, asked trustees in January to place a resolution on the agenda to help their effort gain some steam throughout Cook County. The only community they knew of that has adopted such a resolution previously was Oak Park, which passed its measure just two days before a 2015 massacre that took place during a prayer service in Charleston.
The measure trustees passed has no force of law, a notion that was not lost on Trustee Tom Dwyer, who seemed puzzled as to why trustees would vote for something that was “just a statement.” That led to an exchange between Cargie and Dwyer over the importance of formalizing the will of River Forest voters. Both are seeking re-election in April.
Commented Dwyer: “What’s the value of this to our village? … It’s not a law, it’s just a statement. Where is the value of having a proclamation? … is it any different from saying it at a bar or someone’s house? What’s the purpose?”
Said Cargie: “We represent the residents of River Forest. Every journey starts with a first step.”
Countered Dwyer: “We’re not changing law or police behavior. We’re just making a comment. We shouldn’t be doing something just to the point of doing something. We should have reasons behind it.”
Noted Cargie: “This is not just a feel-good thing. It’s formalizing what our residents are saying. This is strong. They favor universal background checks. We are saying we support universal background checks.”
Advocates such as John Barrett of Oak Park and Ed McDevitt of River Forest said they were pleased with the board’s action. Gun Responsibility Advocates will continue its work and check the results of the 2014 referendum to find other communities that might be so inclined.
As it stands today, federal law requires background checks for guns sold through licensed firearm dealers, according to the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, a resource for legal expertise and information on state and federal firearms laws. The organization is based in San Francisco. In the wake of the Sandy Hook massacre, the U.S. Senate in early 2013 failed to pass a bipartisan measure requiring background checks on most private party firearm sales. Two similar measures failed in the U.S. Senate in 2015 in the wake of the mass shooting in San Bernardino.
Eighteen states and the District of Columbia have extended a background check requirement beyond federal law to at least some private sales. Eight states and the District of Columbia require universal background checks at the point of sale for all transfers of all classes of firearms, including purchases from unlicensed sellers, according to the Law Center.
The resolution does not include efforts to strengthen universal background checks in Illinois, which requires a background check whenever a firearm is sold at a gun show and requires any person purchasing a firearm anywhere to first obtain a permit, known as a Firearm Owner’s Identification Card, after a background check. Under a 2013 law, a seller who is not a dealer and not at a gun show must contact the State Police and verify the validity of the card at the time of the sale, according to the Law Center.
The effort to pass nationwide universal background check legislation would prevent individuals in states like Illinois from driving to Indiana to purchase guns because the laws there are more lax.