State Rep. Blaine Wilhour (R-Beecher City) announced today he has been appointed to an Illinois House Task Force on gun violence.
The Illinois has launched a Task Force on gun violence to examine the issue and present a comprehensive bill for consideration to the full legislative body. The Task Force is comprised of 12 Democrats and 12 Republicans. Chicago Democrat La Shawn Ford will chair the committee.
“I am pleased to have the opportunity to serve on this Task Force because I believe it is important for us to find a solution to the problem of gun violence in cities like Chicago without infringing on the rights of law-abiding citizens,” Wilhour said. “We can solve this problem without resorting to exorbitant government overreaches that violate the 2nd Amendment rights guaranteed by our Constitution.”
Wilhour said he is hopeful that the Task Force is a serious effort to find solutions and not a vehicle for political grandstanding.
“Too often we see legislators use incidents of gun violence to advance radical legislation that won’t solve gun violence but will take away rights from law-abiding citizens,” Wilhour said. “It is my hope this Task Force produces serious solutions that both preserves our 2nd Amendment rights while at the same time actually addressing the mental health concerns that we see so often is a factor in these shootings. This Task Force also needs to take steps toward providing protections for people in gun free zones where a lot of these incidents seem to take place.”