Chicago Archdiocese Latest Target of Gun Lobby Pressure

by Martha Rosenberg

It's been a month since 16-year-old Blair Holt, son of a Chicago Police gang investigator and a Chicago fire captain, was shot and killed riding the bus home from high school.

Like Bill Cosby' son, Michael Jordan's father, Serena and Venus Williams' sister and Chicago area Congressman Bobby Rush's son, family proved no hedge against gun violence for Holt.

But, do the 21 Chicago students killed by guns since September--two from Blair Holt's school--mean Chicago's gun ban doesn't work as gun lovers contend?

(And since it doesn't work, we should be allowed to buy 18 guns at once to protect ourselves? Including automatic weapons? And weapons from unlicensed dealers to avoiding background checks?)

Or does it mean that suburban gun shops are arming the city from its borders and stoking and profiteering off the violence? Aided and abetted by state laws like HR 4818, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2005, which prevents disclosure of "any part of the contents of the firearms tracing system?" In effect, protecting the identities of straw purchasers and criminals?

Father Michael Pfleger, the outspoken pastor of Chicago's St. Sabina Church known for defacing tobacco and alcohol billboards in his church's neighborhood, believes the latter.

Two weeks after Holt's death, Pfleger and Rev. Jesse Jackson led 200 Chicagoans in a march to Chuck's Gun Shop in bordering Riverdale where police say more guns involved in crimes have been traced than any other gun shop--2,370 from 1996 to 2000--including the weapon that killed a police officer nine years ago.

Chuck's was ready for the visit with a semitrailer truck parked in front to block protesters' access and doors tightly shut and locked.

Addressing the small crowd of community activists, reporters and gun violence victims Father Pfleger pledged to "snuff out legislators that are voting against our gun laws" and "call them out by name, by district."

As for the owner of Chuck's Gun Shop, John Riggio, who Pfleger says is hiding his identity behind a trust?

"We're going to find you and snuff you out," said the priest. "We're going to catch you and pull you out."

Pfleger is not alone in seeing the bodies pile up while the gun lobby croons about the Second Amendment.

Chicago Mayor Richard Daley himself has gotten nowhere with gun legislation thanks to suburban and downstate politicians in thrall to the gun lobby.

Days after the Virginia Tech shootings, he introduced yet again legislation in Springfield to ban assault weapons and .50-caliber rifles; limit handgun purchases to one a month (there go your rights!) mandate licensing of gun dealers by the state police; and limit all gun sales to licensed dealers.

Federally, he's hoping for an assault weapons ban and closure of the gun show loophole that lets gun buyers elude background checks.

And this week, Illinois Congressman Bobby Rush introduces "Blair's Bill" on Capitol Hill--named after Chicago's Blair Holt--which would create a national registry of gun sales and ownership and require licensing of all individuals who own guns.

But Pfleger got few Valentines for his trouble. In fact, he was swift boated.

The Illinois State Rifle Association issued a press release trumpeting, "Chicago Priest Calls for Murder of Gun Shop Owner" (murder as in "snuff") and launched a media event.

Gun shop owner John Riggio hired an attorney who called Pfleger's statements "alarming" and "slanderous" and threatened legal action.

And gun lovers deluged the archdiocese with complaints and expressions of outrage.

(Don't underestimate gun lover rage says Philip Andrew who survived the 1988 Laurie Dann shootings in suburban Chicago to become an antigun activist. He has received Nazi post cards, bullets with his name on them and been told by the husband of a state Senate candidate that Laurie Dann should have had better aim.)

"I am a student of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and have always and will always preach non-violence," writes Pfleger--who claims ignorance of the street meaning of "snuff"--on the St. Sabina web site.

"I am insulted by this character assassination, but not surprised. The tactic is to divert the attention off the real issue, easy access to guns and turn it on me. It will not work!!!"

But unfortunately, the tactic does work.

In June, Pfleger's superior, Cardinal Francis George, felt compelled to share his nonsupport for the priest by telling Chicago newspapers "Publicly delivering a threat against anyone's life betrays the civil order and is morally outrageous, especially if this threat came from a priest."

Is the world's most powerful religious organization bowing to the gun lobby? Like the world's most powerful legislative body has?

Privately Chicago archdiocese priests say no.

Key word: privately.