Politics & Government

League Criticizes Lake Forest's Assault Weapon Decision

League of Women Voters plans to attend Monday's City Council meeting and ask for a vote on assault weapon regulation before Illinois' July 19 deadline passes.

A delegation from the Lake Forest Lake Bluff League of Women Voters plans to speak during the public comment section of the next Lake Forest City Council meeting at 7:30 p.m. Monday at City Hall to ask for public action on the regulation of assault weapons in the City.

In the wake of a decision announced Friday by Mayor Donald Schoenheider and the Council to take no action before a state imposed deadline to regulate assault weapons passes July 19, the League wants a discussion with public input and a vote by July 18, according to a news release issued today.

The Council tabled a proposed ordinance July 1 to give it further study. The ordinance was proposed because home rule municipalities like Lake Forest would lose their power to regulate assault weapons 10 days after the state’s conceal carry legislation became law.

Find out what's happening in Lake Forest-Lake Bluffwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

On July 9, the Illinois General Assembly overrode a veto of the conceal carry law by Gov. Patrick Quinn creating the July 19 deadline. City Manager Robert Kiely said Friday the City would take no action.

“Lake Forest will allow the 10 days to lapse without taking up an ordinance pursuant to (the conceal carry law allowed under) the City’s home rule authority,” Kiely said. “The mayor and City Council do not think it is appropriate to control assault weapons in Lake Forest.”

Find out what's happening in Lake Forest-Lake Bluffwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Members of the League criticized the lack of transparency in government in their release and promise to be at Monday’s meeting to ask the Council to put the matter back on the agenda for a discussion and vote July 18, according to League co-President Jane Partridge.

“This decision has been made without public input,” Partridge said in the release. “In the interest of transparency, the public's right to know, and the public good, the City Council should hold a meeting immediately while there is still time to pass an ordinance.”

Partridge and other league members were under the impression after the July 1 meeting an assault weapon ordinance would be on Monday’s agenda.

“Everyone in the audience, watching on TV, reading media accounts, or downloading the video believed there would be another meeting,” Partridge said in the release. “They wanted a ‘placeholder’ ordinance that would preserve the City's rights as a home rule community to legislate assault weapons as the City Council may deem necessary.”

Kiely said Schoenheider would address the assault weapon issue at Monday’s meeting. The mayor did not return a call from Patch for a reaction before publication of this story. Patch will update this article when it has a comment from him.

For complete Lake Forest News, sign up for our free newsletter, "like" us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here